Oh, the humanity!

Observations as I shopped on Black Friday:

1. A woman lost her child in Children's Place (I never realized how ironic that store name was until that moment). I was at the checkout and noticed a great many people saying, 'Ashley' over and over again. The store employees were suddenly all over their walkie-talkies, and the phone by the register in front of me was occupied with a woman calling mall security. The mother was over my left shoulder, bawling her eyes out, hoarsely calling 'Ashley'...when suddenly the woman on the phone said, 'Ma'am, ma'am...mall security has her. They'll be here in a second.' Even the day after Thanksgiving there is always reason to be thankful.
2. My mother-in-law was talking on the phone via earpiece when a Lowe's store employee came up to ask if we needed help. Before I could answer that we needed Velcro, Patti said, "Baby, whatever you want..." (to my father-in-law about buying pizza). The poor guy's eyes went quite large for a second before I explained that she was on the phone.
3. At 6 p.m. in another store:

Store Clerk (holding the copy of 'Chuck and Larry' we were buying): "Have you guys seen this movie? Oh my gosh...it is sooooo funny. I laughed so hard! It's really, really good.

Me: How long have you been here?

Store Clerk: Me? Oh just a few months...

Me: (I make a face.)

Store Clerk: Oh, you mean today...oh. I got here at 3.

Me: Ah.

She was the first perky clerk I'd seen all day. Most store employees had been on since 4 a.m. so by noon they were spent. Speaking of spent...I am headed to bed...

Lisa 'Shopped 'til I Dropped' C

Because it needs to be said...

I have three family members planning weddings right now. All parties will be married within four weeks time next summer. As everyone plans their weddings, I feel compelled to say a few things...

Above all else, weddings are about union. The matrimonial celebration is not only about the joining of a couple, but the joining of families. I feel very powerfully that a wedding should be about inclusion--not exclusion. Argue if you will that it is 'their day' and they can do what 'they' want because it is 'their wedding'--in which case I ask, then why don't 'they' go have 'their wedding' by 'themselves'? Why worry so much about who is paying for what, how many people to invite, and where grandma is sitting if the special day is just for the two people getting married? The idea that a wedding is just for the couple is total bull. I'm pretty sure no couple pays $32 a head for 'their' enjoyment.

Someone whom I love dearly has recently been excluded from just such a celebration. By excluded, I do not mean the wedding party is 'full'--I mean she was left out to the tune of, "I picked ________ (a non-family member, while my friend is) to be in the wedding...you're not upset are you?" My darling friend is far more diplomatic than I am and she won't blog about how hurt she is--but I will. I think it is absolutely wrong to callously pick and choose wedding party members when it costs the wedding couple NOTHING to add people to the party. The bridesmaids/groomsmen take care of their own clothing, etc. so logistically the policy of pick and choose doesn't make sense. And going back to my argument of inclusion--why not work toward having more people there to support and eventually sustain your marriage than fewer? I know what marriage looks like two, four, and eight years into it, and those who were included on my wedding day are still those who I count on to support our marriage.

Hurt feelings last indefinitely. A wedding day lasts for 24 hours.

Lisa 'gotta say it' C

Five Fingers of Thanks

Today, here is what I am thankful for:

1. Electricity. I couldn't blog without it.


2. My new washer and dryer--these have literally changed my life.


3. The fact that I have been married for almost nine years and I do not have to plan and execute my wedding ever again in my life.


4. Snow on the ground. So pretty.


5. Beer.

Lisa 'Turkey' C

Annoyed

This is the email I received from my child's first grade teacher today:

Just a quick note to let you know that I found Taylor's Oct. 15th and Oct. 22nd homework papers today in her desk as we did some cleaning. I am trying to help to remind her but at this point it's going to take more push from home to really get this done. She doesn't see any importance in the homework she's doing and is not following through on returning her work on time. Any assistance from you guys at home would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all that you do. Ms.XXX

My very diplomatic reply:


Ms. XXX,
We did get behind on her homework--honestly, during the week we are just non-stop go-go-go. We've always dealt with weekend homework with all the kids, so the 'due on Friday' schedule has thrown us for a loop. And obviously, we haven't done a good job of integrating her nightly homework into our routine. Honestly, we usually don't think to do it until Thursday night--and if Thursday night is busy...well, you see what happens. She brought all the backed up work last week--obviously little miss just stuffed it in her desk. I will work harder on instilling the importance of homework in her (and us!) and we'll be more diligent in the future.

On a plus note--we do read every night without fail, so she's got that going for her!

Have a good day,
LC

What I wanted to say:

Are you effing serious? First graders do not need nightly homework. They need literacy integrated into their daily lives and we do an outstanding job of this in our home. I am not surprised that Taylor sees no value in her homework, as I do not see the point of her doing mindless worksheets and telling me her address and counting doors in the house (assignments actually given). I am an educator and I fully understand the importance of at-home reinforcement of important concepts, but I do think you should sincerely question whether your little green grids of gloom that come home every Monday really are a means to that end. Furthermore, at the age of six, the reality is that the so-called 'homework' is really being assigned to the parent and I do not need or want this added to my evenings. Have a delightful day.

Nip/Tuck

Oh. My. God.

I don't watch much TV, but there is one show killing me right now. Can we just talk for a minute about Nip/Tuck?

Can they say that on TV? Can they repair that in real life?

I need to take a shower after I watch this damn show. Between Julia's lesbianism, Christian as a male magazine model, a really, really naughty18 year old, and the dominatrix...eww? I don't even know what to think. I know this is the most base, poorly written (hello...where's Conor and his effed up hands?) season yet, and I am still compelled to watch. It's the trainwreck syndrome; I can't look away.

We also tape Heroes, but I am taking a break from it--I got a bit annoyed with 'everyone's a superhero--look she can copy TV!' thing that was happening. Write a plot line, dammit...don't just aimlessly expand the cast.

That's all for now.

Lisa 'TiVo' C

Freedom

News item I picked up through a friend's blog:



TUSCOLA, Texas — A popular English teacher has been placed on paid leave _ and faces possible criminal charges _ after a student's parents complained to police that a ninth-grade class reading list contained a book about a murderer who has sex with his victims' bodies.
Kaleb Tierce, 25, is being investigated for allegedly distributing harmful material to a minor after the student selected Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy's "Child of God" off the list and read it. (See rest of article at http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Oct22/0,4670,BookControversy,00.html)



So far this year I have taught literature that deals with the following: incest, murder, death, capital punishment, adultery and self-multilation. And in the remainder of the year I will teach literature that deals with hellish punishments, burning books, genocide, Buddhism, racism, anti-government ideas, and sex.



Choosing the right book to teach is always a judgement call. If it was on the district's list, Tierce will have some protection. (Still, his protection will be limited; in another article I read it said he was not part of the teacher's union--in my opinion, this is where he really goofed.) Usually teachers follow a couple basic steps when it comes to choosing which books to teach: first, we choose books based on personal passion and curriculum requirements. Next comes the part that Tierce may have skipped--always have a rationale and a back-up plan. Since the book was on the pre-AP list, I am sure there is a rationale somewhere that justifies the use of Child of God in the classroom. (I have not read McCarthy's book, so I cannot speak to the grade level appropriateness of the story.) I cannot believe he didn't realize a book dealing with necrophilia couldn't be partly objectionable to some readers. If Tierce did not first send home a letter and then have an equitable and fair plan for those students who might not want to read the book for whatever reason, then he did not protect himself. And sadly, self-preservation and protection is something teachers need to think about if they wish for the longevity of their career.



I could rant and rave about the parents who objected to the literature, but quite simply, it is their right. And of course the beautiful reality of their objections is that they are self-punishing; their conservative battle-cry will renew interest in the very same material they mean to censor. So, Mr. Tierce, expect a thank you note from Cormac McCarthy soon.



Because these works are important, and because I believe you cannot be free without literature I will continue to teach Oedipus, The Crucible, Dante's Inferno, To Kill a Mockingbird, Civil Disobedience, Night, Siddhartha, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Fahrenheit 451.



"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." Ray Bradbury

On this day...

Yes, two blogs in one day. Aren't you lucky.

I posted my vent blog because it felt good. It was a guilty pleasure. Now, I must reflect on this sobering day of remembrance.

Today is of course the 110th anniversary of the first drunk driving arrest. Let us reflect, in all seriousness and with great thought and conversation, on the effects this tremendous event had on our lives. I think of this day every time I have four beers and then tell myself, "No, Lisa. You can't drive. Remember what happened to George Smith in '97?' Yeah, so it was 1897--but I often think of poor Georgie and his little electric London cab and his now dubious place in the annals of history.

But, wait...hold on. The History Channel is loading a new video on its 'This Day in History' video.

Of course I remember.

I remember we had no working TV because we'd only been living in our house a couple weeks and hadn't installed cable. I remember Jeremy left the house a little late and called back to tell me, "Terrorists are attacking the United States." I remember looking at my two little girls in the tub and putting a hand on my belly full of our son and wondering if we were safe. I remember dashing to my parents to see the footage. I remember seeing the totally surreal image of planes dissolving into the side of a skyscraper whose name I knew despite never having traveled to New York. I remember seeing bodies dropping like bricks, people holding hands, and the completely mind bending image of buildings disintegrating into plumes of gray dust.

I remember George W. Bush's speech from atop the wreckage, and his televised address shortly thereafter. I remember asking my brother, "Are you still glad you joined the military?" and I remember his answer: "Lisa. This is why I joined the military." I remember learning new words like Taliban, Shiite, Sunni, and WMDs. I remember already knowing who Saddam was, and honestly hoping we'd catch him (but I have NEVER watched his hanging).

I say the Pledge of Allegiance in my 2nd hour classroom every morning (despite the annoying f**king chain email that keeps insisting people don't say it in public schools). I work with both bleeding heart liberals and hardass conservatives and yet, I am equally turned off by, "America doesn't need to be the world's police" and "Troop Surge". I am so damn happy to be an American it is silly, but I see how life can be equally satisfying and happy elsewhere.

I remember today.

Lisa 'Red, White, and Blue' C