Friday, December 24, 2010

Enjoying the holidays. . .with family?

It's been said that one of the great oxymorons of all time is the phrase "Government Intelligence." And while that may be true, I find another phrase equally oxymoronic - or just moronic depending on your interpretation.

"Enjoying the holidays with family."

Really? Enjoying the holidays? With family??

That may be the case with the Waltons or the Ricardos or the Cunninghams, but around here lately it's more like a bad episode of "Roseanne."

Who doesn't talk to whom. Who WON'T talk to whom. Phony smiles. Phony embraces. Bad gifts. Or worse, no gifts at all.

Sometimes I have to wonder, who needs it? Maybe Mary and Joseph had the right idea. Travel off, on your own, with only your spouse and, as it turns out,your own child (work with me on this one!!). No visitors - at least not until 12 days later. No big feast. No fancy trappings. Just what really matters at the time.

Not every family is like mine - and I hope that's the case at your house. And we've tried it the other way too - nobody to visit on Christmas Eve. And there were nothing but complaints that way too.

So maybe the term "enjoying" takes on a different meaning in late December. Maybe "enjoying" really means more like "enduring." Because family is what family is - individuals, all with their own idiosyncracies, sharing the same space, be it physical or hypothetical, for as long as we can stand each other.

Enjoy your holidays - and, if possible, your family - and keep in touch. Just don't stay too long.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Pink Nail Polish

Ten
tiny pieces of
bubblegum

Glowing at the ends
of long
slender
fingers.

Reminds me of
the sticky sweetness
that is
the flavor of my youth.

And of you.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Today and yesterday - all at once

I like old things. Classic things. Old cars. Old radios. Old records. Things that have a sense of history appeal to me. I like the fact that they have been around, that they have survived. That they have, in their own way, witnessed history first hand.

Which probably explains why I have enjoyed my last two trips to the movies. Yes, the two films in question were of very high quality – “The Kids are Alright” (a certain Oscar nominee) and “Eat, Pray, Love”, especially because anytime you can spend 2 hours looking at Julia Roberts is a good thing. Oh, and the film is very good too.

But the quality of the films were only enhanced by my surroundings – which was definitely NOT the local multiplex. No, instead, we enjoyed these films in a vintage theater – The Forum – on Main Street in Metuchen, NJ. And I forgot just how much fun it was to go to the movies at a single-screen theater, with a big auditorium and a big screen, with no hustle and bustle and trying to find your theater amongst the 18 or so that you find nowadays, with small auditoriums and louder crowds.

No, the Forum is a real theater. A genuine throwback to the days when going to the movies was an event. A large auditorium, with many wide rows of somewhat uncomfortable seats. Not unbearable, mind you, but definitely not your living room couch. And isn’t that the point of going to the movies anyway?

The Forum has a real marquee. With neon lights and big letters. And the marquee shows you what’s playing AND the times. Just drive by on your way to the store and you know what time to eat dinner if you want to make the evening show.

Ticket prices are only $8 – a real bargain in these days. And for that $8, you get a few quick previews and the movie. No pre-show TV entertainment. No endless previews of films you may or may not have an interest in. Get there early? Then have an actual conversation with your date, or your wife, or your friend, or the couple in the row behind you. Buy some real popcorn – but remember there are NO cupholders here.

Enjoy the vintage music and the smells that are found in a real theater – a combination of must and history and butter. Watch the lights dim and enjoy the show. And after the film, walk out about 20 steps to your car, discussing the movie or deciding where to go for ice cream.

Do yourself a favor – go to a movie at a real theater just once. You WILL go back again and again. And let’s all be sure to patronize these theaters now, because if we don’t save them, we’ll end up with another pizza place or hair salon or dollar store where this little piece of history once stood.

Milk Duds anyone?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Help - I'm disappearing!!

According to a recent article that I came across on Yahoo ("The Middle Class in America is Radically Shrinking. Here Are the Stats to Prove It" by Michael Snyder), the middle class in America is rapidly disappearing. While this has been debated and discussed for quite a while, the statistics the author cites are rather startling. He makes a very clear cut case to support his arguments.

Coincidentally, while reading this article I came across my Social Security statement which had recently arrived. Taking a quick glance at the "earnings record" section, and its precipitous decline, hit me like a tone of bricks: Holy Smoke - I'm in the middle class. . .and I'm disappearing!!

Once upon a time I never worried about being middle class. I was on a fast track, climbing the corporate ladder on my way to what I perceived would be "easy street." And my earnings proved it - $113,000, $132,000, $157,000, $179,000 - the sky was truly the limit.

Circumstances, however, intervened and my elevator to the top got stuck and then, like Disney's "Tower of Terror", began its startling descent, dropping as low as $44,300 while my family got older and, consequently, more expensive to keep.

Now, with two incomes, my "household" income doesn't even equal what I myself made in 1995 - and that's not even taking into account inflation, which would be simply too depressing to calculate. My personal income now barely tops $50,000. I work two jobs to keep the lights on. And I go around turning them off a lot these days.

And I find myself agreeing with Michael Snyder - the middle class is disappearing and taking me with it.

Something has to give. There has to be a way to turn this around before it's too late. Before the backbone of this country is reduced to an entry in someone's version of a history textbook.

Ideas, anyone??

Sunday, June 6, 2010

That's the brakes

I'm a car guy. I like old cars. I like how they look. I like how they work. I often spend time working on them.

I tend not to trust mechanics. I feel like they are always getting one over on me. So I generally try to do as much of my own work as possible.

Today - I tackled brakes. I've worked on my own cars for at least the last 25 years, but one area I never touched was brakes. Maybe it's because that is most often the only thing that stands between you and a collision.

But, as I'm rapidly finding out more and more, necessity is the mother of invention. And, with my wife losing her job (and our family losing about half their income), keeping this old car going as cheaply as possible is now a necessity, not a cute novelty.

And when I heard that tell-tale grind yesterday, I realized I faced two choices. I could buy a lottery ticket and pray or I could learn how to fix brakes in 12 hours. I chose the second.

So there I was, up to my ass in rust, brake fluid and rust. And more rust. And more rust. I had no idea just how much rust can accumulate on the underside of a sport utility vehicle over 16 years. Believe me - it's a lot.

Because I believe that education is the key to successfully doing anything, I read a lot about doing the job. I watched on line videos. I consulted message boards. And I found out one thing - when all is said and done, it's all bullshit. The only way to do the job is to. . . .do the job.

I also found out something else. It's that four wheel drive is code for "anything you want to do on this truck is going to take 10 times longer and be 10 times more complicated - but you can drive in the snow." I'd give up the snow-driving ability for some simpler way to fix things.

But in the end, after 4 hours, two additional runs to the store, one skinned knuckle, one sprained thumb and the onset of arthritis in my knees, the brakes were installed, the wheels were back on, the truck stops and I only spent about 50 bucks - clearly saving about $300 in the process.

That $300 will go a long way toward paying some bills. And I guess I can now say I know how to fix brakes. Add that to the list.

Now, if I could only get the catalytic converter off of the Corvette. "Liquid Wrench" anyone??

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Invasion of Privacy?? I think. . . yes!

I've written before about how the internet and message boards have changed lives. Instant gratification is the order of the day. Automatic publishing - such as this blog - have become the norm.

But one thing that remains in this electronic day and age is the good, old fashioned "Letter to the Editor." Or so I thought.

Recently, a columnist raised my ire enough to get me to write a letter to the editor of the local paper. I was exercising my constitutional right of freedom of speech in the time tested way that our forefathers did.

Only in today's day and age, nothing is as simple as it seems.

First, everything that gets published in the paper also gets published electronically. Which means any yahoo with a screen name can go ahead and comment on what you commented on. But it doesn't stop there. Because, thanks to the internet, they can also "google" you and find out way more than they should be allowed to find out.

Which is the drawback to writing the traditional letter to the editor. Because, as is the editorial policy of any reputable newspaper for as long as I can remember, letter writers must provide their real name and address for verification purposes. And, of course, these get published.

But the posters don't have to do that. They get the upper hand. They get to find out more about you and then use it to besmirch your reputation. And what really sucks is that they use the information whether it's accurate or not. Case in point - one of the posters to my letter insists I teach kindergarten. Kindergarten!! I'd rather eat drywall nails!!

Anyway, the posters are one thing. Put yourself out there and there will always be someone who will be gunning for you. And anyway, at least I have enough guts to put my name to it.

But this "too much information" thing is now getting out of hand. Strangers are now calling my home and sharing their opinions directly. That's right - they are looking up my name and getting my phone number and actually CALLING me.

Which is total bullshit as far as I'm concerned.

Hey, you have something to say - write it down. Either as a letter to the editor or a cowardly comment added to an electronic copy of the letter. But keep the personal phone calls and direct attacks to yourself.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

If you know me, you get it

Favorite John Lennon song - for a lot of reasons:

Watching the Wheels - John Lennon (from Double Fantasy)

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I'm o.k. well they look at me kind of strange
Surely you're not happy now you no longer play the game

People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

Ah, people asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them there's no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them there's no hurry
I'm just sitting here doing time

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go

Monday, May 24, 2010

Yet another. . gone too soon

There is a simple truth in life that my grandmother had once shared with me. She said "Parents aren't supposed to bury their children". I don't really remember the context that brought about that quote but, nevertheless, the quote has stayed with me all these years.

I can add to that quote now - coaches aren't supposed to bury their players. We're just not. Especially coaches of youth sports teams. These kids are so young, so full of life, that they are supposed to grow up, have kids of their own, coach them, and then grow old - just like the rest of us.

But that doesn't always work out. Like today.

Vinny Desario died today. He never woke up from the vicious beating he took at the hands of a homeless, illegal immigrant with too much time and a baseball bat in his hands.

That makes two - two players from one of my teams that I will have buried before me. Two young lives that will never have the chance to grow to fruition, to experience all that I have experienced, to share the love of a game that we all loved together.

Vinny was such a great kid. A real friend to all who knew him. If there is any truth to the phrase "only the good die young" then Vinny is the embodiment of that phrase.

I can't even imagine what his parents are going through. His mother, Paula, never at a loss for words. His father John, just one of the nicest, most genuine people you could ever meet. I don't know how they recover from this and go on - but I know they will.

I really don't know what else to say today. I'm grateful for having had Vinny and his family in my life. And my heart goes out to them in their time of incredible grief.

And I'm glad I don't coach anymore.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hang in there, Vinny

There are plenty of things that piss me off. And writing about them allows me to let off steam - hence the title of this blog.

Yes, our state governor is a portly bully who clearly was terrorized by a teacher as a kid - hence his vendetta against teachers.

Yes, our town council is run by some of the most myopic people the good Lord ever put on this Earth, cutting the school budget while having the nerve to say "but don't blame us for the cuts!!"

Yes, the North Koreans are nothing but a bunch of thugs who torpedo a South Korean ship and then threaten war "if there are repercussions". They pick a fight and then they threaten war??

Yes, Jerry Manuel has next to no clue as to how to make in-game decisions, despite seeming like a heck of a nice guy.

But in the big scheme of things, all of this is small potatoes. Will my salary be frozen or even cut? Probably. Will the North Koreans go to war with anyone and everyone? Probably not. Will Jerry Manuel get fired? Eventually (they all do, by the way).

Nothing here is terribly significant. But just recently so many of us who live in Edison were struck by a blow that really puts all of the bullshit of the world into perspective. The kind of thing that really does piss me off.

One of the nicest young men I've ever known - Vincent Desario - was walking along the street in Wildwood, New Jersey with his teammates after participating in a college golf tournament. One of the young men stumbled, Vinny laughed and the next thing you know, some bat-wielding, homeless, illegal immigrant stops his bike, gets off, and smashes Vinny's head in.

Why? Because he thought they were laughing at him.

Just like that, this young man's life has become irreparably harmed, not to mention the pain and suffering for his family and his friends, both near and far.

This young man is in a deep coma now while everyone, and I mean everyone I think I've ever known, is praying for the swelling in his brain to go down, for the infection in his lungs to clear up, and for Vinny to open his eyes and smile that winning smile again.

This young man has never harmed anyone. This young man pulled himself up and managed to graduate with honors from Middlesex County College, although his injuries prevented him and his family from being able to attend this graduation.

This young man is fighting for his life - literally.

That is reality. That's the really important news. That's what really matters in the here and now.

Governors come and go. Town councils come and go. Crazed dictators come and go. Mets managers come and go. But really great kids like Vinny - they come along once in a great while.

Hang in there, son. Don't give up. Keep fighting. And we'll keep believing. . .in miracles.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

To be 12 again

I spent the better part of the day with my brothers and sister today. I wish I could say it was just another fun day with my family but it, unfortunately, wasn't. We were all together in a waiting room at the hospital while my dad underwent his second lung cancer surgery in 6 months.

I can't think of anything more nerve wracking or physically draining than spending hours waiting in a waiting room, even if it is comfortably furnished, waiting for word on the fate of a loved one. Thankfully, if only for 30 minutes or so, we got a respite today, and we owe it all to the blood bank. Or, to be more accurate, to the RN who runs the blood bank.

But first, I have to give credit where credit is due and when it comes to knowing your audience there is no better expert on this than a hospital. I mean, think about it - they know that people are going to be coming to visit their loved ones while they stay at the hospital. So what do they do? They put up a parking garage. Brilliant!!

And then, as if to say "see how smart we are!!", they CHARGE you to park there. Brilliant!! If they could only figure out how to charge a toll as you walk in and out, they'd have it made!

But it's not only money - no, not by a long shot. Because today I saw even more evidence that they really do know their audience - their CAPTIVE audience.

Which is why, as we sat waiting on word about my father, we were prime candidates for brilliant idea #2 - why just let people sit around watching TV when they could be sitting down and donating a pint of blood at the same time!! Holy crap!! Why didn't I think of that!

And so, that is what my brothers and I did this morning. And it was great! I mean, I could do without the pricking of the finger, the unbelievably personal questions and the needles. But the juice was good and the free pen was cool, but most of all, my brothers and I got to hang around and just cause good natured havoc in the blood bank - and the nurses really seemed to like it!

It was like being 12 again - everything was a competition. Who has the highest hemoglobin (Mike did). Who can fill a pint bag fastest (Sal won that one). Who has the highest blood pressure (Mike again, although I don't think that's one you want to win). We were like the white tornado, sweeping in, making bets, cracking jokes and generally keeping the staff in stitches (ooh, that's BAD hospital humor). I think they were truly disappointed when the three pints were collected and we were on our way again.

Which was really the sad part. Because for about 3o minutes, we were 12. And then, on the way back upstairs, we suddenly turned 37 again. And 43. And 46. And the reality that we were here, not to hang out and bleed for free pens and discounted lunches, but to hope that our dad was going to be alright. It was a somber moment, to be sure.

And later, when they came out and said what had to be said - some good news, some bad news - the reality that we are all getting older - sons, daughters, mothers, fathers - really hit for the first time in a long time.

But hey, we were 12 again today - if only for 30 minutes. And I wouldn't trade those 30 minutes for anything - except maybe the next time Dad can come along for the ride. I think he'd like that.

Friday, April 23, 2010

And they still don't get it

As I've mentioned before, I stupidly keep checking the comments that are posted with every article that bashes teachers and blames us for all of New Jersey's woes.

Came across this one this morning and, rather than paraphrasing, i thought I'd swipe it and post it here. Here's what this genius wrote:

"I love how all these teachers are claiming they teach bc they love it, they love the kids, its all about the kids....Really? Then how come they wouldnt agree to the 1 yr raise freeze??? When times are tough everyone has to tighten their belts including teachers. I get the whole "shaping young minds" thing but we all work hard, no ones job is more important then the next persons. The teachers should stop being so greedy!!!!"

Nearly fell off of my chair from laughter. Yes, teachers do love teaching and they do love kids. Believe me, if you don't this isn't a job, it's a sentence. But just because you love something doesn't mean you shouldn't get paid for doing it. Since when does being paid for a job make one "greedy?"

As best I can tell, Alex Rodriguez loves playing baseball. But I really don't think that he lets his love of the game cloud his judgment when it comes to making a living. Yes, he loves the game, but he still expects (and deserves) to be paid well to do it. And, coincidentally, he enjoys having a contract - a sort of security blanket, if you will. So do teachers.

I could go on and on about the various posts I see every day but to what end? Most of the public had no interest in ever becoming teachers - they knew that the pay generally sucked. So they went into private industry and did as well as they could. Several of us chose a different path - for me, it came AFTER my time in private industry.

For now, the tables are reversed - public service is more stable and secure than the private sector. But that will change again and when it does, I hope I'm the first to post on the various newspaper website bashing all the greedy private sector workers with their cushy 40 hour work weeks, their BMWs in the parking lot and their yearly bonuses.

And while I'm at it, maybe I'll tell Alex Rodriguez where to get off too.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Be careful what you wish for. . . .

And so the voters have spoken. In towns all across the state of New Jersey, including here in my town of Edison, voters have rejected school budgets just as the "jolly" fat man in Trenton asked.

So let the cutting begin. By my take, about 10,000 teachers will be unemployed come June 30. School programs from sports to kindergarten will be reduced or removed altogether. The arts in school will become mostly a memory for most.

The people will get what they asked for. Leaner schools, tighter budgets. They will also get more crime, lower property values and decreased academic achievement.

But, that will be the will of the people. And when things don't turn out as well as they thought, they will want to change it. Of course, by then, spending caps will have been enacted, the bright young teachers who are being let go will have moved on to other careers and their schools will be lightyears behind in technology and achievement.

I just can't wait for Mr. Prosecutor to start crying the blues over how the state unemployment fund is drying up too, now that 10,000 more people will be drawing on it. Who will catch the blame for that one, Mr. Governor? And how will you close that gap?

Stay tuned - the best is yet to come, I'm sure.

Shared sacrifice my a$$

So Governor Christie has been preaching about shared sacrifice. About how all New Jerseyans must suffer because the economy is so tough. About how, in his twisted mind, nobody should gain from anybody's loss (tell that to Goldman Sachs by the way!!). How those bastard teachers should burn in hell due to receiving pay raises and pensions as promised in legitimate collective bargaining agreements.

Shared sacrifice for all. . . except Governor Christie and his friends. Seems while he has been toiling feverishly, cutting budgets and turning school districts upside down, he has managed to increase his own payroll by $2 million. That's right - his executive staff is getting $2 million more than the governor he replaced.

What a complete load of crap this is. On the one hand we all must suffer - unless you are a friend of Christies, in which case you either get a tax cut (see Mrs. Christie and all others who make more than $400,000 per year) or a pay raise (see Mr. Christie's cabinet members, etc).

Seems like a double standard here, Mr. Christie. As painful as it is, I think it's time you looked in the mirror - there you will find the biggest impediment to a successful governorship - yourself.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

What's Good for the Goose. . . .

Governor Christie of New Jersey delayed his budget announcement until March 16 of this year. On that day, he dropped the hammer (or should I say ax) on New Jersey's public schools, cutting nearly $1 billion in aid to those districts while sparing the richest New Jerseyans (including his wife) nearly $1 Billion in additional taxes.

This ridiculously large cut caused local school boards to scramble to prepare new budgets, primarily because while Mr. Christie's minions in Trenton were telegraphing to the local boards to expect 15% decreases, his cuts amounted to, in some cases, 4 times that much.

The scramble was because in New Jersey, we vote for our school budget this year on April 20. And with filing deadlines nearly 3 weeks before that, this late notice led to hasty cuts to the largest areas school superintendents and boards could find most immediately. In almost all cases, these cuts involved people. Large amounts of people.

The problem is that education is a service "business" - and anyone who knows a thing or two about business knows that service businesses rely on people. But unlike other businesses where things are "produced" (and thusly, when there are fewer people, fewer things are produced), education works backwards - it is the very "production" of things, namely kids, that keep the education "factories" - read as schools - humming.

And there is the disconnect - most businesses control their production. Education does not - the kids are produced whether there are service providers there to educate them or not. And state law does nothing to help, since it promises all of the products - the kids - a free public education. So just how is this going to get done with fewer educators??

Anyway, I digress. After the budget announcement, the local school boards banded together to ask our illustrious governor for a delay in the filing of budgets and the election. In fact, they asked that elections be forgotten for this year. While I don't think THAT request had a snowballs chance in hell of working, I DO think the request for an "extension" was reasonable - after all, hadn't the governor asked for and received an extension in the timing of his budget announcement?

So what is his response to this request? Of course, it's "NO". And so the scramble was on.

And now we are only 4 days away from the budget elections that promise to alter the face of the NJ Educational System more drastically than the invention of the hot lunch.

In the meantime, April 15 has come and gone and millions of Americans scrambled to turn in their tax returns on time. And, as has become the custom, most elected officials in the country set a good example and released their tax returns for all the public - their employers, after all - to see.

Except Mr. Christie - he filed. . . for an extension!!

You can't make this crap up. Only in America (or New Jersey) can a governor ask for an extension on his budget address (and get it), be asked for an extension on school budgets (and deny it) and then ask for an extension on his personal income tax (and get it). Only in America.

Mr. Christie - what's good for the goose, should be good for the gander. I guess you're the only one that doesn't see it that way.

Monday, March 22, 2010

To Hell with "posters" - here are the facts!!

I know I've written on this subject before, but I am still somewhat amazed and oftentimes dismayed at what I see written on message boards sponsored by reputable newspapers. I used to think a lot of people around me were crazy, but I never had any proof. Thanks to the message boards, it's been confirmed.

Time was, the only way to comment on the day's news was to write a letter to the editor. And there, presumably, someone with some degree of knowledge reviewed the letter and chose those that were the most pertinent and, perhaps, the best written. And then came the internet (do I blame Al Gore here??) and with it the rise of the great unwashed of journalism - the neighbor with a fast internet connection!!

Now anyone with even a moderate degree of technical ability can log on and leave posts that sometimes boggle the mind.

What has started this, again, has been the proliferation of news stories and commentaries about the rather Draconian budget cuts that our new (and hopefully one-term) governor Chris Christie has ordered - especially those aimed at education (check the profile - I'm a second-career teacher). These cuts are having drastic affects on districts all over the state - large and small, suburban and urban. And, as a result, teachers are going to lose their jobs and students will, in the long run, lose out. It's inevitable.

So all the "posters" have to say is, in a nutshell, "good for the teachers and good for the administrators and aren't they all overpaid and they should all rot in hell (OK - I added that one)...." And most of these comments are written in what I guess is a form of English, although not the form I try to teach my students. And it seems that many of these posters comment several times per article.

It's not even that the posts are mostly illiterate - it's that most of them are so grossly misinformed! It's as though the only thing they know about teachers they learned from "Welcome Back, Kotter" in the Seventies.

Here are the facts:

  • all teachers aren't rich, but some who have survived the longest do make six-figure salaries;
  • there are an awful lot of school buildings that are over a half-century old and behave like they are - leaky ceilings, worn floors, poor electrical systems, etc;
  • teachers do get a pension after their service is done - but they also contribute to that pension to the tune of about 5.5% per year with no choice (unlike opt-in 401(k) plans in private business);
  • the state hasn't fully funded the pension system in about 17 years but the teachers have;
  • teachers get really good benefits but more and more of them are contributing to their benefit costs;
  • teachers are surrounded by a few dozen sick kids per day, which means they get sick too;
  • I get about $1.10 per day for supplies for my classroom - that comes to about 4-cents per kid per day;
  • teachers are off July and August;
  • teachers don't get paid during July and August;
  • mortgages need to be paid during July and August;
  • teachers pay property taxes and income taxes;
  • unemployed people don't pay income taxes, nor do unemployed teachers;
  • teachers don't work from bell-to-bell - they work around 10 hours per day during the school year;
  • teachers don't get overtime;
  • teachers don't get merit pay because nobody can figure out how to make that work;
  • most teachers actually love what they do and wish the public would just let them teach and knock off all this nonsense;
  • and finally, the only place you will see a beige computer is in an elementary school classroom - yes, they are that old.

Hey - all we did was see a good job and take it. We decided to work for a little less and hope for a pension at the end of the day. Most of us didn't even know about the health benefits thing when we started but I'll admit we do like it once we get it. And none of us have ever begrudged those who work in the private sector when things are going great and there was an abundance of paper millionaires - and we won't begrudge them in the future when things come roaring back and the paper millionaires are there again.

So to all of you posters who seem to have nothing but time on your hands, do one of two things. Either get a real job and contribute something to society or go back to school, take the classes, pass the test and become a teacher. Then you can see just how great life with two unpaid months off, no air conditioning in the summer, no heat in the winter and the need to pee on a set schedule can be.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Blame it on the Go-Go's

I was born in the early 1960s, which means I did most of my growing up in the 1970s. And what that means is that my key college years were in the early-mid 1980s. Like most of those of my generation, music has been an integral part of my life - I can't remember a single day when I haven't listened to an album (CD or MP3 now, I guess) or the radio. And I can't remember a day when I haven't listened to at least 1 Beatles (or solo Beatle) song. My musical tastes are varied, ranging from 1940s big band to John Mayer, classic rock to classical, jazz to country.

And yet I have almost no use for anything recorded in the 1980s. I came to realize that the other day when I finally replaced all of my stolen Sirius radio accessories and returned the radio to the car. 200 channels of stuff and I ended up, for five minutes, on Channel 8 - Eighties on 8. And it was then that I thought my ears were going to fall off.

The song that set me off - "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos - was when I came to the realization that the Go-Go's are living proof of everything that was bad about the 80s. To say that they were mediocre is putting it mildly. The truth is that they were just awful. And yes, I will acknowledge that there were some really awful bands in the 1960s and 1970s. But these were mostly one-hit wonders that came and went and now, when you hear their song, you say "Oh Wow - I remember this song. It sucked back then, too!" and then you move on.

But the Go-Gos were a bad band that SHOULD have been a one-hit wonder but somehow weren't. The kept releasing bad record after bad record - and America kept buying them!! And so, as a result, they are a staple on 80s on 8. And a constant reminder of the lost decade of music. Their effects were far reaching, taking so many others down to their mediocre levels.

Don't believe me? Look at all the great acts that went to hell in a handbasket during the 1980s. Hall and Oates - great blue eyed soul in the 70's, pop crap in the 80s. Chicago - cutting edge jazz-fusion in the 70s, the same old David Foster sounding pop in the 80's, Cher - oh, who am I kidding, she just sucked all the time.

Even the legends weren't immune. Name one great Rolling Stones record in the 80s - "Dancing in the Street", Mick Jagger's nightmare with David Bowie? Or how about Bruce Springsteen - musical genius in the 1970s who was reduced to recording the song with the single worst lyrics ever written by a rock and roll hall-of-famer - "Glory Days." Just what the hell is a "speed ball" anyway, Bruce?? And just to show that I'm not ignoring my own musical favorites - did we really need McCartney II? I mean, really??

All of this music sucked - the shitty soundtrack to what should have been my own glory days - graduating high school, college, and the start of my first career. Instead of fond memories, I have A Flock of Seagulls, Softcell and Kaja Goo Goo to look back on.

But no matter how hard I try to twist and turn this - I still blame the Go-Go's for making mediocrity acceptable and setting the cause of all-girl bands back 20 years.

Thanks girls.

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Loneliest Profession

When I became a teacher, after a long career doing other things, one of the veteran teachers surprised me with this little tidbit. "One thing I never get used to," she said, "was the loneliness. Teaching is a lonely profession."

I was somewhat taken aback by that. Lonely? I'm surrounded by 25 kids all day. Constant interruptions. Library. Gym. Art. The occasional assembly. Who could be lonely?

She was right. It is a very lonely profession. But not lonely in the sense that you are "alone" such as a hermit might be. But you are very much alone despite being surrounded by a sea of young faces. You are pretty much on your own after your initial training. You get a curriculum guide, a few reference books and then have at it. Figure it out on your own. And, after a while, you do. Or at least you think you do.

But the loneliness persists. You don't have much adult conversation during the day. And after school, you are busy copying or grading or having mandatory meetings to do anything other than just packing up and going home. As far as professions go, other than an undertaker, I think teaching is a pretty lonely profession.

But the loneliness doesn't end in the classroom. Not any more, at least. No, the loneliness continues outside the school now. For I'm finding that being a teacher is not only a lonely profession, but one that is clearly the scapegoat for everything that is wrong with America today.

Don't believe me? Just look at the newspapers for proof.

Here in New Jersey, we have a tremendous budget deficit. And our illustrious governor has decided that it's the teachers who are at fault. If we could just find a way to have schools with teachers that would work for NO money, things here in New Jersey would be paradise, to listen to his rhetoric. Teachers make too much. Teachers have tenure. Teachers have summers "off" (which is complete bullshit, by the way. Just ask any teacher how much real "off" time they have during their unpaid vacations and I think you might be surprised). Teachers have a pension. Teachers get health benefits.

Nobody ever asks what teachers give up to be teachers. Like the right to work in a building that is less than 40 years old. Or computers that actually have an operating system newer than Windows 98. Or the ability to take a vacation when everyone else ISN'T on vacation. Or the ability to pee when you have to, instead of on a schedule. Or heat in the winter. Or air conditioning in the summer. Or overtime. Or a bonus.

The reality is that teachers perform a valuable service and expect to be paid. We don't expect to become millionaires. None of us got into this gig for that. But after a number of years, it would be nice to be able to have a few nice things.

The truth is that during boom times, nobody wants to be a teacher. They all want to go into private industry and make big money - myself included. But these are not boom times. And, the nerve of it all, teachers are actually working while other industries are not. But that's not our fault. We didn't tell American manufacturers to outsource all of their work. We didn't tell the banks to make all those bad loans. We didn't tell GM and Chrysler to make all those shitty cars (who really needs the Pontiac Aztek anyway!!) All we did was decide that education was the calling we had. And now we are the bad guys.

And to those that think we're the bad guys, let me ask you - just who do you think is paying all the income taxes in this state while everyone else is unemployed? The teachers, that's who.

But I digress. It's not only the teachers making too much money. No, now the federal government wants to revise the shitty No Child Left Behind law with still another half-assed attempt to "fix" American schools. Hey - I have an idea. Let's figure out just what's WRONG with American schools and fix that. Because all this fixing isn't doing a damned thing. Oh, and did anyone ask a teacher to help "fix" the schools? Look at who's doing the writing of the law and let me know what you find.

And, while they are at it, let's not just fix the law, let's rewrite the standards so that we have national standards - across all 48 states. Oh, wait a minute, there are still 50 states aren't there. At least there were when I looked at my flag this morning. But Texas doesn't want to play nice in the sandbox. And if Texas won't play nice, the textbook makers won't play nice. And if the textbook makers won't play nice, you can bet your ass there won't be any national standards.

Did anyone ask a teacher about this?

Just when I'm ready to pitch this whole thing and return to Wall Street with the ridiculously high bonuses, free-flowing coffee and the ability to pee when and where I want, something happens to draw me back in.

Tonight, it was "To Sir, with Love", the great movie with Sidney Poitier. This movie always reminds me that there is more to this lonely profession than the bullshit that you read in the paper. There is the dedication to the students - to making a difference for them, to being a role model for them, to being "there" for them. That is why we accept the sub-standard working conditions and the wrath of the public and the interference of the politicians.

Because, at the end of the day, when a former students stops by to say hello, or when you run into a parent of a former student and they say "Thank you. You made a difference for my child" it makes you feel better than any six-figure bonus check ever did. That's why I stay in the lonely profession. Because, despite what everyone else seems to think about teachers in public education, we DO matter and we DO make a difference.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Thoughts during a blizzard

So I'm outside shoveling snow that's as high as my ass when I see my wife looking out the window - probably checking to see that I haven't had a heart attack or something. Which I appreciate, but I think I'd appreciate it more often than, say, every 45 minutes or so. Because unless one can be revived after 45 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures, all she is going to find is a dead popsicle of a husband.

Of course, I have bigger things to worry about than possibly dying and being found 45 minutes later by my caring but otherwise pre-occupied wife. Like trying to remove the 3 foot wall of snow that the town conveniently left at the end of my driveway, courtesy of a too-small plow and a too-large snowfall. I have to remember to send them a thank you note - there is NO WAY I could have possibly built this 3 foot wall on my own!! I wonder if they are going to clean the drains sometime before May, because this mountain of snow is probably going to start melting by then.

As I struggled with the snow, I found myself wondering if George Clooney was going to set up a telethon to help those who are either buried in snow or mud? How about it George? After all, we have telethons to help everyone else - how about ourselves?

And speaking of telethons, I really do feel sorry for all of those who were lost or who lost everything due to the earthquake in Haiti. It really is a tragedy, but doesn't it underscore a bigger tragedy - that an island that COULD BE a vacation paradise is instead a wasteland of corruption and irresponsible government? I mean, if the government was any good, and if the police and the army didn't go run and hide once the earth shook, and if they had a modern building code, and perhaps a clue as to how to market themselves, all the Haitians who are working in hotels here would be working in luxury hotels there and perhaps the island wouldn't have crumbled like a house of cards.

And why is it that only the poorest of the poor seem to build their homes and communities on fault lines? Oh that's right, because the rich seem to build their homes only where there are mudslides or raging wildfires. That explains it.

Well, the snow has stopped, I'm out of coffee and patience and my back is killing me. Quitting time.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Where has our compassion gone?

I had written previously about misplaced priorities. Today, however, I have an even bigger concern - that of human compassion and decency. What inspired this was a man's suicide and the callous and heartless reactions to it that have been posted to a newspaper message board.

A little background is in order to fully understand this. In the town where I currently live and teach, we have had a bit of a drug scandal. Seems that a few of the custodians at the local high school were bilking the school prescription benefit plan by passing off illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin. Seems that the custodians were obtaining hundreds of illegal pills and ultimately selling them on the street. Value - who knows, but an awful lot.

The employees were identified by police, and ultimately, a few of them were arrested. While the investigation has been continuing, one of the janitors, who was incidentally a former firefighter in town as well, hung himself. Who knows why. Maybe it was the pressure of this investigation. Maybe it was that he had failed at still another job. Maybe it was the thought of disappointing his family, including a young daughter. Maybe it was his drug problem.

Truth be told, we won't ever know because he hung himself and he didn't leave a note. Whether or he was guilty of anything, however, one must be pretty damned desparate to go ahead and hang yourself. And whether or not you are sympathetic to his plight, you have to admit that this is a tragedy - especially leaving a little girl all alone in the world.

The news breaks and, as has become the custom in the 21st century, "posters" who probably wouldn't have the guts to sign their own names to anything, let alone an internet post, start in with the most cruel, vile comments I have ever seen on a website. Comments that ranged from insults aimed at the deceased to comments about his family. Strong words and little thought.

And that is what has ticked me off. The internet, the ultimate free-speech tool, has turned us into a bunch of whiners, complainers and insult artists who can now hide behind the anonymity of a screen name and simply badmouth whomever and whatever we wish. With no consequences to speak of and with absolutely no care as to who sees the post or how many people they may be insulting.

What has happened to our society? Where is the compassion? The earth rocks and we immediately spring into action, sending millions of dollars to Haiti and offering all the assistance we can muster to help those poor helpless people and this demonstrates just how good people can be. And, almost simultaneously, a man takes his own life, shaming his family and leaving his daughter an orphan and rather than having even one sympathetic word, these jokers immediately start piling on with insults and derogatory comments. And we get to see just how bad people can be.

Why? Where have we gone wrong - and I say "we" intentionally. Because even if we don't participate in the action, somehow we must be condoning it, either by letting the posts go unchallenged or by subscribing to the paper that allows such crap, or by just turning a deaf ear.

I genuinely fear for what we are becoming. And I keep asking myself "why?"

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Joe Must Go

As I watch the disaster that is the AFC championship game, I have come to the conclusion that until and unless Joe Namath either renounces Satan or is ultimately put into his grave - either by natural causes or with a wooden stake in his heart - the Jets will NEVER return to the Super Bowl. Bad karma just cannot be overcome by anything less than that.

Of course, as fate would have it, Joe went to Indianapolis today. Figures.

Hey Joe - you gotta go. Next time, please stay home.

41 years and counting.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Misplace priorities

If you are not yet convinced that we somehow have gotten our priorities all screwed up, just look at the events of the last 2 weeks or so.

The New York Giants, after a 5-0 start, suffer a tremendous defensive collapse, give up more points than probably any other Giants team in recent memory, finish at 8-8 and miss out on the playoffs.

On Christmas Day, some cretin from another country boards a plane in Amsterdam bound for Detroit with a bunch of explosive stuff sewn into his underwear. As the plane nears Detroit, he somehow manages to light his crotch on fire but, due to divine intervention (it WAS Christmas, after all), the alert response of crew and passengers, and a bad fuse, the idiot is captured, his crotch is put out and the lives of hundreds of passengers are saved.

Because of the epic collapse of a once-sterling defensive unit, the owner of the New York Football Giants is incredibly embarrassed. After he lets the fans know how pissed off he is, he promptly sees to it that the two individuals who are responsible for this tremendous error are fired, and so it is done. The defensive coordinator is dumped on Monday and the defensive line coach is sacked on Tuesday. That's called decisive action.

Because of the epic collapse of what we keep hoping is a strong national security system, the President of the United States is incredibly embarrassed. He admits that, while the intelligence (I use that word loosely) was there, no one bothered to tell anyone else - in other words, his defensive "coordinator" failed in his or her duties. It later comes out that the suspect in question was a known terrorist suspect who was on a series of lists and was under surveillance. Seems to me, though, that he was somehow NOT under surveillance on Christmas Day and, perhaps in spite of all the lists he was on the most important list he somehow WASN'T on was a "no fly" list.

And for this incredible breach of security, a collapse that would have had a lot more devastating effect than losing 8 football games and missing the playoffs, the President of the United States, who clearly outranks even the owner of the New York Giants, decided to fire nobody. Let me repeat - the President of the United States, after admitting an epic failure of the system, fired NOBODY.

Giants miss the playoffs and fire two. National Security misses a terrorist who almost blows up an airplane and all the innocent lives on it and we fire NOBODY.

Talk about screwed up priorities!!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Resolutions

So it's January 1 - the day when most everyone in the world sets about ot create some resolutions that will govern their lives for the next 365 days. Only thing is, they usually only last about three days before the impossibility of it all sets in and they are abandoned.

I've done that for years. Set impossible goals and then abandoned them just as quickly. I even created a list of resolutions for this year. My list went something like this.

1. Workout every day. I had been diligent about working out daily for quite a while last year - that is until September rolled around, school started and I got lazy. So I laid off "for just a few days", I said. A few days became a few weeks. Then a few months. So here I am, on the first day of 2010, thinking to myself that this should be an easy resolution. After all, haven't I been working out all last week?

2. Clean my office (or at least my desk) on a weekly basis. Again, this seems like a no-brainer. My desk does get away from me, quite often. I've been trying to do this for the longest time, and I had a pretty good streak going back in November. Seems like this should be easy to keep. What's once a week?

3. Learn to cook. Seems I have always been lucky enough to have someone around who enjoyed cooking for me. My mother. My college roommate. My wife. But lately, I was thinking that maybe learning to cook might not be a bad thing. It might actually be fun. I like watching the Food Network - what's the next logical extension - actually doing it. And maybe if I helped a little more in the kitchen . . . .why not?

4. Ride my bike more often. Seems like the "going green" thing would necessitate this. That and the fact that, come May we will be a four-driver in a two-car household. And it would also help with #1.

5. Write more regularly. I mean, I do fancy myself as a writer. And I do have a blog. And I do teach for a living, including teaching writing. And I could use some extra money. And I should also stop starting so many sentences with "and."

Wash the car more often. Straighten my bedroom regularly. Learn a foreign language. Read all the books on my nightstand. The list became endless.

And as I went further and further down the list, I realized that there was NO WAY in hell that I was going to stick to these. Sure, I would probably work out more often, but daily? I was already making excuses for that one. And the cooking thing - seemed like a good idea, but unless you can make an entire dinner in the microwave and the toaster oven, realistically speaking, that was also going down in flames.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the reason none of us ever stick to our New Year's resolutions is because they are too regimented. They are always intended to get you to do things more often, or more regularly, or better than last year. And the reality of it is that if you really wanted to do things more regularly, or often, or better then you just would! You wouldn't need some list that you put together in a drunken stupor on December 31 to tell you what to do.

No, resolutions were not for me. Not this year. Not again. So I pitched the list, dragged myself to the shower and as the water streamed down, I tried to turn off all thoughts of improving my sorry self in 2010.

And then it hit me - the perfect resolution. One that I know I can fulfill and that would not only benefit me, but maybe all that I come in contact with over the next 365 days. And here it is:

Just live!

As in "just live your life." Live it the best you can. If you want to sing in the shower, then sing. Want to read more, then read. Enjoyed that experiment in the kitchen, then do it again.

Write in the blog. Or don't today. Get up and workout for 30 minutes, or 60 minutes, or maybe only 15 minutes. Play hockey on Tuesdays and watch basketball on Fridays, or vice versa. Go to the movies once in a while.

Clean the damned office so you can find the top of the desk - maybe not each week, but maybe more often than last year. Dust off the bike when the weather gets better and ride it - even if only for a few minutes.

That was my resolutions - just live. But really live.

Live your life. Don't just sit there making lists because lists never did a damned thing except waste paper, ink and time. Be in the moment more often. Don't just READ about experiences - experience them!

So that's my resolution for this year. I intend to "live" more. And maybe, if I live more, those around me will learn to live more too. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally work on no starting as many sentences with "and."