There are some of you who know my friend who's been living in Honduras for about two years now--she's more family than friend.
Things aren't good there at the moment, and while normally I might take some comfort in the fact that she's living on an island far from where most of the troubles might be, she and her girlfriend were on her way home for a visit--they had planned to be in Canada by tomorrow--and they're caught in this situation:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8270218.stm
I've been keeping up by chatting and messaging on line quite a bit, even yesterday at lunch from work, and they're stuck indoors just a couple of blocks from where a lot of the action was going on a couple days ago in Tegucigalpa.
Today I'm having a quick coffee with her successor--the only other techie kid I've ever trusted with their own set of keys to the theatre--to say goodbye before she heads off Friday to live in Nicaragua.
I need to start giving those keys to people I don't like.
In the meantime, I'm sending prayers and thoughts that my Honduras friends will soon be out of that and here for a while. No doubt there will be some pressure not to go back from those who care but I'll trust they know the best course of action.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Kid Who Sits Behind You Explains
The DaVinci Code
(Editor's note: The Kid Who Sits Behind You has been on sabbatical for a while, but he is happy to be back now that he is in college and being forced to read books again. He did manage to graduate high school and tried his luck touring with a band for a couple of months, and well, the less said about that, the better. He is now enrolled in a community college, and has also joined a book club, formed by his new girlfriend, Lisanne. He is happy to once again to be able to offer you his unique insights into a variety of literary works.)
So this Dan Brown guy is all into symbolism and secret stuff and Sangreal, which I think is like some sort of wine mixed with fruit juice, plus he's all into weird religious crap and goddesses and goats and stuff. (Kinda like some of the posters I got cheap when my favorite metal record store had that closing out sale.)
He goes on about something called Opus Dei, which I think means something like "Opie's Day" or maybe "Opie is God" in latin. So I kinda got into this symbolism thing too, (cause on account of some stuff we was adjustin' our consciousness with after the first book meeting, even though Lisanne said she's going to be all straightedge now she's starting college but it was a Friday night...) Anyway, I think I get what he's hinting at.
Opie was the kid in that Andy Griffith show I used to watch on those dvds at my grandma's place and the show used to be called "Andy of Mayberry". Well, the Leonardo's name isn't "da Vinci"--that just means his name is really "Leonard of Vinci". See the connection? Plus Mayberry is like some sort of plant that they'd probably wear in their hair on May Day, when they dance around the maypole, which is like all goddess symbolic and pagan and stuff.
Plus there was a guy on the show named Gomer, and that was one of the kids of Japeth, who is one of Noah's three sons and there's all this stuff in the freemasons (my grandpa was one and after he kicked it we found this weird apron in his closet and for a while I thought he was some sort of crossdresser) about Noah's kids and that all ties in.
The main woman in the show is this hella old chick named "Aunt Bea", and that's short for Beatrice, who was a character in some play by some guy named Percy Shelley and she's treated like crap and beat on by her dad. So I figure like Aunt Bea's always havin' to be maid for Sheriff Andy 'cause he's the male authority and she's this "sacred feminine" that the religious authorities have beat down all the time.
Finally, the theme music to the show was called "The Fishin' Hole" and when they start the show there's Opie carrying a fishing pole. This is symbolic cause on account of Dan Brown tells us the "age of pisces" (the fish) is over and the "age of aquariums" is beginning, which I think mean that the christian fish-symbol is going to be replaced by the goddess of fish tanks, and Andy and Opie are going to kill fish so it all makes sense.
Plus the deputy Barney had no play with the babes and that stupid guy in the book has this hot French chick detective around and he is too busy looking for symbols to get busy, if you get what I'm sayin.
(Editor's note: The Kid Who Sits Behind You has been on sabbatical for a while, but he is happy to be back now that he is in college and being forced to read books again. He did manage to graduate high school and tried his luck touring with a band for a couple of months, and well, the less said about that, the better. He is now enrolled in a community college, and has also joined a book club, formed by his new girlfriend, Lisanne. He is happy to once again to be able to offer you his unique insights into a variety of literary works.)
So this Dan Brown guy is all into symbolism and secret stuff and Sangreal, which I think is like some sort of wine mixed with fruit juice, plus he's all into weird religious crap and goddesses and goats and stuff. (Kinda like some of the posters I got cheap when my favorite metal record store had that closing out sale.)
He goes on about something called Opus Dei, which I think means something like "Opie's Day" or maybe "Opie is God" in latin. So I kinda got into this symbolism thing too, (cause on account of some stuff we was adjustin' our consciousness with after the first book meeting, even though Lisanne said she's going to be all straightedge now she's starting college but it was a Friday night...) Anyway, I think I get what he's hinting at.
Opie was the kid in that Andy Griffith show I used to watch on those dvds at my grandma's place and the show used to be called "Andy of Mayberry". Well, the Leonardo's name isn't "da Vinci"--that just means his name is really "Leonard of Vinci". See the connection? Plus Mayberry is like some sort of plant that they'd probably wear in their hair on May Day, when they dance around the maypole, which is like all goddess symbolic and pagan and stuff.
Plus there was a guy on the show named Gomer, and that was one of the kids of Japeth, who is one of Noah's three sons and there's all this stuff in the freemasons (my grandpa was one and after he kicked it we found this weird apron in his closet and for a while I thought he was some sort of crossdresser) about Noah's kids and that all ties in.
The main woman in the show is this hella old chick named "Aunt Bea", and that's short for Beatrice, who was a character in some play by some guy named Percy Shelley and she's treated like crap and beat on by her dad. So I figure like Aunt Bea's always havin' to be maid for Sheriff Andy 'cause he's the male authority and she's this "sacred feminine" that the religious authorities have beat down all the time.
Finally, the theme music to the show was called "The Fishin' Hole" and when they start the show there's Opie carrying a fishing pole. This is symbolic cause on account of Dan Brown tells us the "age of pisces" (the fish) is over and the "age of aquariums" is beginning, which I think mean that the christian fish-symbol is going to be replaced by the goddess of fish tanks, and Andy and Opie are going to kill fish so it all makes sense.
Plus the deputy Barney had no play with the babes and that stupid guy in the book has this hot French chick detective around and he is too busy looking for symbols to get busy, if you get what I'm sayin.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
This sounds like a Mickey Mouse deal to me
Disney cruises will be stopping here by 2011. My daughter will be a few years out of their target demographic by then, but I'm sure some locals will be thrilled. Expect a lot of little girls in princess dresses wandering the tourist trap shops on Government Street...
Monday, September 07, 2009
Regeneration
In about 10 hours, I'll meet with students for the first time this school year. (So I should probably get to bed.)
I've been thinking about the beginning of this new school year the last week or two, and as always, I have mixed feelings about it. While it's a little sad to say goodbye to the summer, particularly one as nice as this one, the last few days have been rainy and felt more like fall, and it feels like we should be getting back at it.
My daughter's excited about coming to my school this year, although she's leaving behind all her close friends from her previous school to do so. I'm looking forward to our daily commutes together; no doubt we'll have lots of time to discuss all manner of things as the weeks and months pass. I suspect we'll also argue about radio station choices quite a bit...
The summer is quite long, but I think it's necessary. Not for the "school is such a grind we need a longer break" excuse so much as I think it needs to be clearly separated by time from the year that's ended--we need to make a clear break from what came before and feel that what lies ahead is something new, something fraught with possibility.
In much the same way as the winter is needed for fruit trees to lie dormant and then blossom to life once more, so we need to empty the school and leave it to the custodians and tradespeople so that we can return to someplace clean, perhaps painted or renovated, and ready to be filled with the expectancy the new school year brings.
We turn over at least 25% of our population each year as well. As wonderful as any departing grad class may be, after four years we've all gotten a little too used to each other, and they've outgrown what we have to offer, and all of our particular idiosyncrasies--theirs and ours--have begun to wear thin. The incoming kids will bring their own challenges, but at least some will be new challenges.
No matter how many first days of school one experiences, you can't help but pick up some of the nervous energy and excitement that fill the halls as the new grade 9s try to muster a confident swagger and eagerly clump together for encouragement, talking a little too loudly as they pretend they know where they're going.
The new grade 12s take a little while to settle into the rarefied air of senior status, and at first wander about as if looking for the big kids who ran the show a few months before. The senior hangouts gradually become less empty, as one by one they dare claim these spaces as their own. In a few weeks, though, they'll wear the mantle of their seniority more comfortably, and the memory of another departed grad class will gradually fade.
There will be all sorts of resolutions--the best lesson plans and most innovative units are often those written for the first few weeks of school. Once routine is established, and any number of unexpected demands steal focus, we will succumb, to varying degrees, to the temptation of the familiar, the safe.
Still, there will be surprises. I hope, for all who read this and are facing their own new school years, that most are nice ones.
I've been thinking about the beginning of this new school year the last week or two, and as always, I have mixed feelings about it. While it's a little sad to say goodbye to the summer, particularly one as nice as this one, the last few days have been rainy and felt more like fall, and it feels like we should be getting back at it.
My daughter's excited about coming to my school this year, although she's leaving behind all her close friends from her previous school to do so. I'm looking forward to our daily commutes together; no doubt we'll have lots of time to discuss all manner of things as the weeks and months pass. I suspect we'll also argue about radio station choices quite a bit...
The summer is quite long, but I think it's necessary. Not for the "school is such a grind we need a longer break" excuse so much as I think it needs to be clearly separated by time from the year that's ended--we need to make a clear break from what came before and feel that what lies ahead is something new, something fraught with possibility.
In much the same way as the winter is needed for fruit trees to lie dormant and then blossom to life once more, so we need to empty the school and leave it to the custodians and tradespeople so that we can return to someplace clean, perhaps painted or renovated, and ready to be filled with the expectancy the new school year brings.
We turn over at least 25% of our population each year as well. As wonderful as any departing grad class may be, after four years we've all gotten a little too used to each other, and they've outgrown what we have to offer, and all of our particular idiosyncrasies--theirs and ours--have begun to wear thin. The incoming kids will bring their own challenges, but at least some will be new challenges.
No matter how many first days of school one experiences, you can't help but pick up some of the nervous energy and excitement that fill the halls as the new grade 9s try to muster a confident swagger and eagerly clump together for encouragement, talking a little too loudly as they pretend they know where they're going.
The new grade 12s take a little while to settle into the rarefied air of senior status, and at first wander about as if looking for the big kids who ran the show a few months before. The senior hangouts gradually become less empty, as one by one they dare claim these spaces as their own. In a few weeks, though, they'll wear the mantle of their seniority more comfortably, and the memory of another departed grad class will gradually fade.
There will be all sorts of resolutions--the best lesson plans and most innovative units are often those written for the first few weeks of school. Once routine is established, and any number of unexpected demands steal focus, we will succumb, to varying degrees, to the temptation of the familiar, the safe.
Still, there will be surprises. I hope, for all who read this and are facing their own new school years, that most are nice ones.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Nice ending
It was a terrible situation--story was on my google all Thurday evening. A two-year-old B.C. toddler wandered away from where his family was camping in the Yukon. Not exactly safe terrain, and it gets cold at night.
Then, the next day, turns out the little guy is found. He'd followed a dog he saw into the forest. The dog had been lost for a week or so, and it must have stayed with him, and probably kept him warm overnight. They were found together, and are okay. The owners of the dog found out the little boy wanted to keep the dog, so they're letting him have it.
Full story here.
Then, the next day, turns out the little guy is found. He'd followed a dog he saw into the forest. The dog had been lost for a week or so, and it must have stayed with him, and probably kept him warm overnight. They were found together, and are okay. The owners of the dog found out the little boy wanted to keep the dog, so they're letting him have it.
Full story here.
Friday, September 04, 2009
And the latest retro/nostalgia trend to return is...
McCarthyism.
Obama wants to start off the school year by making a 15-minute speech to students encouraging them to take control of their education.
Apparently it's really an attempt to indoctrinate them with "Marxist propaganda".
First, the ridiculous proposition that health care isn't just for the rich and now telling kids "to set goals for your own education: to study hard and get involved in your school."
Fortunately a lot school districts are savvy to his gun-hatin', healthcare-forcin', ways and they won't be lettin' their kids be brainwashed by the man the country is followin' like a bunch of crazy cult people.
*sigh*
Obama wants to start off the school year by making a 15-minute speech to students encouraging them to take control of their education.
Apparently it's really an attempt to indoctrinate them with "Marxist propaganda".
First, the ridiculous proposition that health care isn't just for the rich and now telling kids "to set goals for your own education: to study hard and get involved in your school."
Fortunately a lot school districts are savvy to his gun-hatin', healthcare-forcin', ways and they won't be lettin' their kids be brainwashed by the man the country is followin' like a bunch of crazy cult people.
*sigh*
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