Some hap'nins, and some notsomuch. I was fully expecting to begin my student teaching this week, but since I'd not yet heard from the folk at Cal State, I decided to give 'em a ring and find out what's up. Turns out everything is running behind and they essentially have no idea when I'll start. So, instead of a week off, I have at least a couple of weeks off. Mind you, no complaints there! But I truly am anxious to begin.

 

I received a little bit of an ego boost today...I went to visit Ms. S., a longtime 6th grade teacher (days away from retiring!) and my mentor teacher at an elementary school in Glendale with whom I worked in 2001-02 as part of an Americorps program. Her class was involved in various playacting re: Greek and Roman myths. But I noticed that several of her students were working on the story of the death of Julius Caesar that I had put together two years ago, in a play form loosely based on Shakespeare. They were acting it out! I was so proud I coulda burst. I didn't even know Ms. S. had a copy of it! Amazing what goes on around you when you're not looking.

 

In the meantime, I've gotten myself in deeper still with the Blair alumni group and have signed on to do a summer fundraiser, consisting of lotsa Sondheim stuff--which I've never sung, except in the late-night loneliness of my Air Force dorm room, and only ever Sweeney Todd, and only ever whilst drunk. So years later, this should be a substantial challenge. I'm game! I think.

 

Hey! Dr. Trick is a ped'lin' fool! And he gets to wear funny clothes too! A rare opportunity to watch my fave perfessor cycling his guts out to train for a tour de Tour de France. He'll be journaling for the Daily Peloton website for the Yellow Jersey Tours under the name Locutus (you know, the other bald cyborg). Great writing, great pics. So if biking is your meat---go to it!

 

I'm enjoying watching the spasmodic paroxysms of the "liberal" media (you know, those tie-dyed hippie treehuggers O'Reilly, Scarborough, Medved, Savage, Limbaugh, et al.) as they go all adither over this weekend's release of Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11. The reviews I've seen thus far all admit that it's propaganda, pure and simple (but then so is everything on Fox News), but also that it's well made and entertaining propaganda. While I suppose the same could be said for Leni Reifenstal, in my view, that's not really the point. As far as I'm concerned, it's about time someone put in front of the public eye once and for all that footage of  W., sitting glassy-eyed in front of a Florida first grade classroom, staring at "My Pet Goat," for seven interminable minutes after hearing about the second airliner flying into the World Trade Center towers. I ask you: is there a better picture of the current leadership than that?

 

26 former diplomats and military issue a statement critical of the Bush Administration's handling of the war in Iraq. (The Guardian)   I wonder just how much we've harmed ourselves and actually increased the likelihood of more terrorist attacks like 9/11 by our actions. I think the repercussions of the last three years will haunt us for the next thirty. And just because Saddam has been kicked downstairs, I personally sure don't feel any safer. Do you?

 

 

 

The incredible Ray Charles died this week, barely noticed due to the hoopla surrounding Reagan's sainthood---I mean, burial. Ray is one of the ever-dwindling few famous artists who has been there in the background of my entire life. His groundbreaking 1962 album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" (okay, not such an original title) was one that my parents owned and played a lot when I was wee...it nonetheless holds up wonderfully to these ears even today as an amazing melding of styles: Hank Williams done soul style. I rediscovered it as a teenager and it is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums. When I was in the USAF, the moments I felt most partriotic was at the on-base movie theater, where they would prelude the film with Ray singing "America the Beautiful" (still my choice for the National Anthem). It was a beautiful rendition, and one I've never forgotten---it took Ray to really make me proud to be American. I had an opportunity to say hello to Ray when he was visiting the Studios to shoot a video, probably around 1988-89. He was as charming as I expected. A genius gone. The world is a little poorer.

    When I heard this news, I actually shuddered, knowing I would have to face my demons in how I felt about the man. I was hardly a fan of his during the course of his presidency, but I know many good, good people who were. And even my hard heart was softened a little knowing he was drifting away piece by agonizing piece by Alzheimers---a fate I would never wish on my worst enemy.

     Nevertheless, I think it would be pollyanna-esque and ostrichlike to the max to ignore exactly why I felt the way I did about Reagan and his reign, and why I believe his policies to have had long-lasting detrimental effects that we are still dealing with today. Many will look at most of this list and say, "So what? That was then---this is now." But I truly think that America is a substantially lesser nation because of Reagan, his cronies, and the way they set the in-your-face, balls-out, go-to-hell tone for the current batch of Rep bastards.

 

1. Deregulation. Environmental regulations meant to stem pollution of air, water and parkland fell to the axe of Reagan's chief hit man, Interior Secretary James Watt. But deregulation was a fever that spread under Reagan; the bottom lines of corporate America saw great gains as a result. Another result of deregulation was the Savings and Loan debacle that lost billions, with no repercussions to speak of. No wonder the 80's were considered the "Greed is Good" decade. Enron, anyone?

 

2. War on Americans.  Reagan coined the image of the lazy, Caddie-driving (and definitely black) "Welfare Queen" to whip up public sentiment against the have-nots. At the same time, Corporate Welfare reached an all-time high, with nary a whisper from corporate-owned media. This at the same time that AIDS hit the States hard and, because it was considered a "gay cancer," warranted no mention whatsoever from the Oval Office. Reagan also allowed the hyper-conservative Christian Coalition (aka the "Moral Majority"--truthfully neither) to gain a solid political foothold in policymaking. For that alone---and its clear anti-Constitutional ramifications---should he be excoriated. And in fine Christian manner, he disbanded the mental health system in this country, effectively dumping thousands and thousands of homeless and mentally ill men and women out into the streets. Many of them veterans. How patriotic.

 

3. Political Blunders. I still see red when I think about the disingenuous machinations of the Iran/Contra scandal--dealing with the enemy to hang onto American hostages just long enough to affect the November 1980 elections. Also, do let's not forget the funding of the Contras: a more bloodthirsty bunch of ragtag terrorists ---CIA trained and funded, no less---you are unlikely to see anywhere. And remember: 138 members of Reagan's staff were indicted for some charge or other. 

        And while we're on the topic of funding terrorists---a common refrain these days---we must never forget that Ronald Reagan trained and gave the pursestrings to none other than Osama Bin Laden in order to beat back Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the early 80s. Nice move! To top it off, Reagan excelled at coddling tinhorn dictators, and the bloodier the better. He and his minion Don Rumsfeld brokered deals with Iraqi peckerwood Saddam Hussein in order to forward him WMD with which to fight Iran (which is how Bush "knew" he had 'em---we still had the receipts!). The man sure knew how to pick 'em! In any case, there ain't no one you can talk to now that can't logically say we aren't screwed to the hilt thanks to Ron and his crew. 

 

So, I suppose I have to say that my anger is justified. The America that I dreamt of as a kid---not the one that fucked over Vietnam, not the one that institutionalized racism, but the one that fought for Civil Rights as we put a man on the moon---may have been severely wounded when Nixon shuffled off with his tail between his legs, but it was beaten and drowned like a bagful of kittens by Reagan and his pathetic ilk. The current Bush batch are wailing mightily on the rotting corpses, and they might yet squeeze out a little more blood. And yet, we still don't care. We just want our reality shows and our Bud. The American people are so benumbed by their daily doses of bad news that we look back fondly at the halcyon days when a smiling  B-actor told us everything was great--and we believed him. Style over substance; what could possibly be more American than that these days? 

 

 

 

 

 

Strange days. Well, not really. Seem I sometimes go out of my way to get myself involved in peculiar happenings. This past Friday night, I took part in the CalTech Shakespeare Read-a-thon, a 24-hour attempt to grind out all of the Bard's works in the space of a day. It started at 4pm Friday, I joined in at 10pm, reading Taming of the Shrew. Here's a pic.

    Me, Petruchioing all over the place.

 

 

It was great to do it with a batch of folk who were actually interested in acting it out. Other groups, unfortunately, weren't as into it. Here's the next batch I sat with, reading Much Ado about Nothing (which, I understand is translated into Spanish as "Machado de Nada"---well, maybe not):

This one lasted until about 3:30am. What the hey?

 

So, I'm gazing down the barrel of Finals once again. As noted earlier, this is my last quarter of classes before I'm kicked out into my Student Teaching phase (aka Trial by Fire). I'm anxious to get it going and a little scared as well.

In the meantime, I've gotta bastard of a Math test tomorrow evening and my Alien paper is due the next day. If I like it, I'll post it.

 

One of the wee pleasures of life lately has been the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup of more, shall we say, "mature" cartoons, although using the word "mature" with shows like the astoundingly-insane-yet-brilliant "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" might be pushing the issue a little too far. For those who are living in a box or are merely asleep at a decent hour: ATHF tells the tale of three quasi-"superheroes"---none with any super powers, per se---who slack off all day and bicker either with each other, their neighbor/landlord Carl or the occasional alien creature that drops by to take over the world. The hook? One's a box of fries, one's a lifesize milkshake and one's an ottoman-sized meatball. Truly, my explanation does it no justice; just check it out.