Shut it down

I'm scared!
The whole financial world is falling down around me and I can't help but be a bit panicked. Everybody's forecasting our downfall...there's that Ahmenidinijadheadfedgfd / Iranian president, talking about the U.S.'s demise and then I heard, earlier today, that some financial expert in China declared America dead and done!
What can I do? I can't repair the economy. I can't lend the government 12 trillion dollars.
So I channel surf between CNN's coverage of America's economic meltdown to The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo because nothing says, "Go U.S. A.!" or "Let's sacrifice for our country!" better than a lollipop head on a stick body, self-absorbed fashionista who commands people to "shut it down" while buying thousands upon thousands of dollars of haute couture. I don't know, it's just comforting for me - like having a Chanel cashmere blanket to stroke while listening to the sound of banks padlocking their doors.

What if your brain was a marshmallow?

High School students are funny. They are both funny haha and funny dude,- you-need-to-up-your-medication. Either way makes for some good entertainment!

My son is very funny. He is both witty and perplexing in his delivery. He likes to reinact cartoon anectdotes which don't translate as well in the 3-D world of adults but he and his sister double over with giggles after this....
"Hey there's a red-headed lady. Really? Where?"

Tickle boxes instantly turn over. Laughter spills out.

He also asks very hard, profound questions about the world.

What if the world was made of shoes?
What if this car was our house? Where would my room be?
What if the world was made of candy? Would you eat me?
What if smiles were made of red licorice?

And really, what if the world was made of shoes and smiles were licorice? What would happen? I can't answer any of this and it's so dang cute and at the same time so damn annoying because he never runs out of the hard questions.

Music Saves

I can't get enough of my music lately. I guess it's the only certain thing in an uncertain hormone-filled world of misguided teenage angst butted up against peri-menopausal angst coupled with mental superiority and jealous longing to have my whole life stretched out ahead of me like they do.

Oh, why is youth wasted on the young?

I find music very comforting and soothing after a long day of teaching private school seniors British Literature and college freshmen English Comp.

In reality, I am very much enjoying the new challenges of teaching high school students. I am studying a way more than I expected to get ready for each lesson. I'm getting a black belt in karate chopping complaints and kickboxing bad attitudes over the importance of studying Angles and Saxons. I also have some really sweet and over achieving students (mostly girls) that give me hope for the next generation. I even have one student that may is a budding comedian.

I still have my other gig at MDCC and my new crop of English Comp students are so different from last semester. I have several older students, mostly nurses, who are coming back to get higher certification. It's an interesting group. They aren't quite the slackers of last spring. These students on the whole, seem to have some goals regarding getting a degree. I hope I'm correct with this hunch because I have high hopes for them.


Here's a little of what I've been enjoying while I sip a glass of wine and get ready for the next day. This is Badly Drawn Boy singing "Once Around the Block" and I like the guitar and the easy sound.

This Marvin Gaye classic makes me want to DAINCE (that's better than dancing)! I stumbled across this song on the FM dial and remembered just how much I like this song and LOVE the man that sings it.


This song by Chromeo just cracks me up! It throws so many 80's elements into one song from the perky synthesizer to calling the girl a tenderoni. It's funny and catchy. I can't help but listen to this and smile. I also like their song "Bonafide Lovin'" This is for all the Tenderonis out there!