Now's As Good A Time As Any

When I started driving from my apartment to here, there was a huge grasshopper on my hood. I figured once I started moving, it would hop off or get blown off, but it kept hanging on, sliding back to the gap by my windshield wipers once I got up to 35 mph. Then I figured once I got on the highway, it would be history. But it was actually trying to climb back up onto the hood at 65 mph! That’s perseverance! Eventually it gave up on that and took shelter from the wind near the left wiper motor. It looked like it was going to catch a lift all the way to OSU and mess up the whole ecosystem! But I lost track of it somewhere between Bethel and Ackerman on Route 315.

1. President Lyndon Johnson
2. President William McKinley
3. President Franklin Roosevelt
4. President Theodore Roosevelt
5. President Harry Truman
6. President Woodrow Wilson
7. Almost-President Al Gore
8. Martin Luther
9. Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)
10. Steve Jackson (of Steve Jackson Games)
11. Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
12. Ray Manzarek of The Doors
13. Limited founder and richest man in Columbus Les Wexner (apparently an Ohio State law school dropout)
14. Carly Fiorina (Former HP Chairman and CEO)
15. Donald Rumsfeld
16. Karl Marx
17. Novelist/murderer Michael Peterson

But right now, I need a nap.

I had a great day at Crestview today! They were a little confused when I got there…case in point, the principal wasn’t expecting me, which was disconcerting…but I think it helped smooth things over when I offered to help out in the office and pick up all the attendance folders in the school every day I’m there. I even got to teach just a little bit!

One challenge will be learning all the names, although I’m only going to see about 50 students regularly because I usually won’t be there in the afternoon. I also have to learn the names of all the teachers and staff, although I can print out the staff list from the school’s web page for a cheat sheet I guess.

Oh, I’m so happy to be teaching finally instead of studying these dumb theories and writing dumb research papers.

So I’m going back Monday! Can’t wait!

I think it’s a positive development that it’s not going to be socially acceptable for fashion models to do coke. I think it should also be socially unacceptable for them to not eat…and don’t get me started on cosmetic surgery in its various nefarious forms. And oh yeah, when I’m king of the world I’ll ban makeup.

It’s my first day of my field placement! I hope, I hope, I hope I don’t have to wear a tie…

I should do another blog name change to something more informative, but I like my silly names pretty well.

Aaaah!!! The ghost has returned! I should listen to it carefully and do just the opposite of what it says again. That worked out pretty well last time.

Everybody (and Google) please visit Columbus’s own Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra! It’s the finest amateur chamber orchestra in the metropolitan area! Once again, that link is…metropolitanchamberorchestra.com! (There you go, Dad!)

So, who can we get to run for Congress in ‘06 against Pat Tiberi in my district? Maybe somebody who hasn’t lost to him before? Let the backlash begin!

I’m going to Crestview Middle School! Which means, of course, I went all the way to Marion-Franklin for nothing. Oh well. It will be a good field placement, and it’s fairly close to my adorable stepniece.

On Monday, I spent the day at a real live charter school in Cleveland. It was very tiring, and I could see that there are a lot of daily challenges and stresses, but I liked the kids a lot. So I’m not dissuaded from working in an urban school district.

I’m about as happy as I could be without them winning. I think they have a real shot to go 11-1. If the BCS picture works out, it works out. But they should just focus on being the best they can be.

Northland earned a 20-14 lead but the Marion-Franklin Red Devils came on strong in the second half and won 41-20. (Q: How d’ya like Marion-Franklin? A: I dunno, I’ve never marion-frankled.)

In other news, Crimson Sweet rocked it up at Cafe Bourbon Street last night and kept me out much too late. I really should be down on campus instead of watching Gameday on TV!

My seat for OSU vs. Texas is good. Really good. I’m not going to tell you how good, because somebody might mug me for the ticket. It’s a student ticket, by the way, so don’t get any big ideas…actually, a cursory glance at eBay shows that some students are basically selling the tickets along with their student ID and pleading that the ID be returned after the game. Well, students are selling them, or somebody who stole that student’s wallet.

This is going to be crazy!!! My prediction…hmmm…you know I have to pick OSU, but by what score? I’ll say…Buckeyes, 24-17.

…will be at Columbus Northland High School. Go Vikings!