Life is Beautiful

In the past week I have found myself watching and reading all manner of Holocaust-related books and movies--Devil's Arithmetic, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Milkweed, Downfall, and the Hiding Place. Not my usual diet. I make it a habit to teach the Holocaust at some point every year and have done nearly my whole teaching career--there's a story behind that. I was reminded last night while watching the Hiding Place of this movie and this particular scene. I love it.

"A Man and His Apron Strings...Be Still My Heart..."

If you'll excuse the minor indiscretions in this video clip from "A Funny Thing Happened On My Way to the Forum", it illustrates my point perfectly today--one can never underestimate the value of a good illustrative point via youtube. Since mid-January I have been the "victim" of complete and utter servitude. And believe you me, ya otter try it!! The down economy has misplaced many of the country's men and taken them from the 9-5 grind straight into a prone position on the couch. Some of the female authors of accounts I have read on-line complain of TOO MUCH man lying around with a remote stuck to his hand, playing video games, sleeping in until noon, and generally resorting to cave man gruntings. However...drum roll please...I take my sombrero off today in praise of one Paco who has taken his role on the nation's rapidly expanding unemployed rolls with complete dignity, thrift, and aplomb.
Here is a partial list of his daily activities of the last few months: makes breakfast and dinner DAILY, brings me lunches to school upon request, serenades me on his re-discovered guitar, does all laundry, builds shelves in the garage, sprouts all manner of seed sprouts for eating, mends, vacuums, plans and executes weekend get-aways, does dishes, shops, feeds llamas, de-junks the office, pays bills, chaperones middle school activities, helps neighbors, shovels snow, repairs water heater, grows wheat grass (upcoming blog on that!), walks and attends to Mugsy, sends off Christmas/Valentine's Day/St. Patrick's Day letter, attends the temple, advises local school board on issues, reads entire Harry Potter series for the 7th or 8th time, takes out trash, and researches myriads of gardening topics ALL while maintaining a daily job search both in and out of the country! I LOVE my cheerful and energetic slave clear to pieces...

"Look Into My Eyes..."

Occasionally time stands refreshingly still--not often. Today I witnessed the SAME hypnotist on the SAME stage using basically the SAME jargon and post hypnotic suggestions that were used on me when I was a junior in high school some 39 years ago. At my side was a classmate of mine who teaches math in the same school I teach English who ALSO sat at the feet of the SAME hypnotist in the SAME school on the SAME stage. (note: I teach middle school in the same building where I attended high schcol.) We reminisced and predicted pretty much 99% correctly how the show would roll forward. This hypnotist, Jack Lithgow, is 83 years old and doing the SAME gig!!!! Unbelievable!! Right down to having a subject grab the curtain as they left the stage! I observed to Mr. Classmate/Math teacher that the guy looked like he'd spent the majority of his years on a horse--he's bow-legged! To his credit the rest of Mr. Lithgow looks great, he still admits to being an avid reader, and he puts on a pretty commendable hypnotism show for a very rapt audience. He made one slip-up--he undid his tie at one point but had forgotten to plant the post-hypnotic suggestion for someone to try and fix it for him. I hope that his persistent presence on America's schools' stages is a reflection of his never-ending zest for knocking out middle schoolers and not a commentary on what the economy is forcing and WILL force people to continue doing...

Ball "Hog"

Amen, Brother!

Seuss-ettes!

Give me a sewing machine, some fleece, and a couple of dynamite models!! My Denver (HEY!!! Did you hear about the Denver coyotes attacking joggers???? Oh MY GOODNESS!!!! They went right for the jugulars!!!!!) cuddle bugs have RSV, but their hat pictures will show up soon!!!! Heal babies...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I, like many of you, go waaaaaaaaay back with this cat. Hats off today to Dr. Seuss who brought out the kid in all of us.