The week is FINALLY over. My first month with the Fifth Grade Class from the Fifth Circle of Hell has come to an end. Thursday night was Open House and I think I managed not to blow a gasket. I'm dealing with things much better now---mainly learning not to bring it home with me and to really appreciate my time off more. No more weeping like a drunken sailor in the middle of the night, worrying that these turds are ripping the very lifeblood from my marrow.

 

So tell me, ain't that a lesson in itself?

 

In other news: Bridgette did not get selected to go to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and although she put up a brave front, stating that she didn't want to go anyway, I could tell it hit her hard. Nevertheless, she is keeping very busy on the Thespian-esque front: she is carrying nine different roles in her school's production of "The Wiz" (yes, yes, I know, it is a nearly all-white cast--go figure) and she has also been selected to be the high school's mascot (a tiger) for ballgames, pep rallies, and so forth. Her schoolwork is doing fine, with a steady B average, so I'm cool with whatever activities she can wedge into her schedule without dropping dead. I have to say, for a freshman, she's blossoming into a pretty interesting human being. Tonight I pay my monthly dues to the Good Dad gods when I drive her and her friend to West Hollywood for a late-late screening of her fave film, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." We usually don't roll home until 3:30-4 am, but weirdly it seem to make the whole weekend last a little bit longer.

 

Met up last week with Terri L, earlier referenced as the subject of a major series of crushes when I was a younger man, and still cute as all getout. Her hubby Doug and she met up with us for java in Ventura, just before we were to head on to a family wedding (my cousin's daughter)...Our re-connection was a great time, topped off with the very sweet gift of a vintage 70's-era bottle of Herbal Essence shampoo, whose scent I have always associated with Terri. Now why'd she hafta go digging up all those memories? Amazing how smell is so strongly attached to the recall sense...

 

Thanks once again to all those friends & family who tossed out props a couple weeks ago---they kept me going, fer shur.  

 

Well, this Thursday I celebrate (if that's the word you wanna use) one whole month with my cageful of little beasties. And although the first few weeks were an emotional rollercoaster for your humble narrator, I think that, although the drone of me haranguing 11 year-old orangutans has continued unabated, my take-home reactions to it have chilled substantially. I realize (finally!) that there's very little expected of me save getting them to the end of their horrible fifth-grade year without them throttling each other--or me. And as of Thursday, I'm 33 1/3% there.

 

All the books out there will tell ya: no one wants to hear about your screwed-up little life as a novice teacher, so keep yer damned mouth shut or lose friends. I have tried to take this shiny little nugget of wisdom to heart and will only broach the subject if someone asks and not before. Ain't I considerate! Of course, that little dictum has no jurisdiction here on my little webbysite. Gotta have someplace  to vent!

 

Speakin' of friends: great news under the "Hitchings" column: buddy Sam Lapides and sweetie Maureen Maki got swiftly tied together recently during a whirlwind rock'n'roll sortie out to Vegas. As those who don't know (or haven't been listening), Sam is a musician and Maureen is an artiste, both live here in LA, both late of Michigan somewheres. Mucho congrats! Debs and I will be tossing them a little soiree sometime this summer.

 

And filed under "Reproduction of the Species" we find the recent birth of handsome li'l Hart Marley R., brought forth into the world by the machinations of  our next-door neighbors and dear friends Michael and Shelley. Many, many congrats to the happy family!

 

Weird how some "typical" LA experiences never actually happen to you... but last weekend Debs and I were loitering outside our local Foster's Freeze contemplating which bowlful of frozen sweetened fat sounded more tempting than the others, when an honest-to-God car chase zipped right past us, copters & copcars in chase, sirens blasting and spotlights flashing. It was awesome, for the seven seconds or so it took for it to disappear around the corner and out of our lives. I actually expected venerable (and increasingly decrepit) Channel 5 newsman Hal Fishman to appear out of nowhere and begin asking innocuous questions about the motorist's possible motives. Cool!

 

Still enjoying the hell out of Netflix...recent rentals are "Amores Perros," "My Neighbor Totoro" and an obscure documentary about David Bowie that starred all the former Spiders from Mars (all weird old British gentlemen) talking about how they played on Bowie's first few records. Intriguin' stuff.