Northern Noise

If I were 18 again, I think I'd study to become a heavy equipment operator or diesel mechanic.  Work when I want making decent money - hooray for affirmative action and non-traditional occupation quotas.  I would leave at the end of the day able to see what I'd accomplished  Granted, I wouldn't get to talk a lot about Shakespeare, except to myself, and I wouldn't get to laugh at teenagers.  But I'd accomplish something and I'd have choices about where and when to work.  I'd be outside and I'd be physically challenged.  If I were 18 again. But I'm not. Not even close.  And this path has been good so far.

So the boy gets this goop called Flarp! at a birthday party yesterday.  Who knew so much fun could come in a little container?  Flarp! is this florescent green "noise making putty." When it's squeezed, it makes, ummm, fart noises.  So you can imagine why my 8 year old likes it so much.  There was much "noise making" and innuendo about  gaseous emissions until bedtime. So the second part of this tale is that while Bob's away, Jed's been sleeping with me.  It's only the two of us, plus the dogs, in the house so we might as well bunk together.  Last night I put him to bed as usual, watched a little Eureka , and then went to bed myself as the boy snored. At 4:00 this morning, I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I got back upstairs, Jed was sitting up in bed.  " There's something in my pants ," he tells me. " What do you mean there's something in your pants? "  (This is a dangerous question to ask an 8 year old, espe...

I'm not anti-American, or even anti-government. I am anti-war. I'm also anti-hate, anti-hypocrisy, anti-prejudice and anti-meanness.  There are a lot of people in this world that I don't agree with and some whom I don't respect for their choices.  But I don't believe any of us have the right to impose our moral beliefs on others, and I don't believe that self-declared morality provides any excuse to take away or diminish the rights of others.  No matter what religion you are, liberal or conservative, we all know what it means to be decent.  Be decent to everyone, assume good intent on the part of others, and protect those who can't protect themselves. Civil rights aren't an issue of a majority vote.  In our country we stand up for the rights of the minority - remember when slavery was legal, women weren't allowed to vote, it was okay to fire someone who was handicapped?   I don't want a president who is going to use his or her morality, or relig...

Today I'm still pissed off at war and violence.  Syria is unimaginable, and the stories of civilians and families trying to stay safe and together are heart wrenching.  Republicans are out stumping that gay marriage isn't a civil rights issue, and that a woman's reproductive rights are subject to legislation.  So here are 5 more songs - protest songs, "fed up with it" songs,  "what the heck is happening in our country" songs, and two "it can get better" songs.   6) "Rich Man's War" - Steve Earl.  2005. Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world Been a year now and he’s still there Chasin’ ghosts in the thin dry air Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war  7) "Ohio." Crosby, Stil...

Today I'm sad and a bit cynical.  Started off the day listening to news and interviews from Syria.  Then veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.   Reminds me of the bumper sticker, "War is unhealthy for living things." So I've got protest songs on the brain.  Not just protesting war, although that's where I started today, but protesting injustice and plain ol' meanness. The first few that come to mind are as follows (not in any significant order): 1) "Eve of Destruction" - Barry Mcquire. 1965. The eastern world it is explodin', violence flarin', bullets loadin', you're old enough to kill but not for votin', you don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin', and even the Jordan river has bodies floatin', but you tell me over and over and over again my friend, ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.   2) "Fixing to Die" - Country Joe and the Fish. 1968. Yea...

Sometimes, the wanderlust hits me.  Often it's when the seasons change, something in nature makes me want to evolve, to move, to transform.  Sometimes it's brought on by a song.  A good road song or an aural memory can take my mind away and try to make my feet follow.  Sometimes it just sneaks into the car and when I get to an intersection whispers, "turn left" when I should turn right. I spent some time traveling the roads in my car as a younger woman.  I remember how I felt stopping at a rest stop in Pennsylvania, knowing that none of the people in the world who knew and cared about me had a clue where I was at that moment.  I remember sitting and eating lunch on a bench at Mt. Rushmore, while the wind made the flag whip back and forth in the breeze.  I remember mountain biking on trails in McDonald County, MO, where strange plants and bugs and sounds made me feel like I was in a completely different world.  I remember the trucker at a rest st...

Finished both of the minor children's parent-teacher conferences.  Met with the boy's 3rd grade teacher last week and saw 5 of Aileen's 6 teachers today.  Nice to know that both of them are doing just fine.  We expect them to progress to the next grade and continue to learn as they go. When I was in the classroom, I absolutely loved parent-teacher conferences. Part of it was because I always enjoyed my students - teenagers are hilarious and brilliant (even when they try not to be). I also felt like it was really my job to say something good about the student to the parent or guardian who trusted me with them each day.  Don't get me wrong, I was never afraid to give a straight take, but I tried to do it while sending the message that my job was to help, not to label or condemn.  I was lucky in that my kids' teachers seem to like 'em okay.  As a self-declared master teacher myself, I sometime find myself questioning a teacher's assignments or methods....