The DN

1   I find it awesome that I got a Magic Bullet for Christmas. It segued perfectly with my JFK unit. 

2   I've gotten a bit tired of all the hype shows. I've even <dare I say it> not watched football. 

3   I KNOW. I KNOW. 

4   I'm trying to get away from most things that appear to be hype. 

5   There's something wrong with me. 

6   To start off, I'm pretty happy, which always worries me. 

7   Like the Grateful Dead sang, "When life looks like easy street there is danger at your door."

8   Truer words, truer words. 

9   But I've been able to get out and enjoy things. I decided to switch from wine to ice water. I've used the Magic Bullet to make incredible fruit/veggie shakes complete with kale, carrots, lettuce, avocados, zucchini, strawberries, blueberries and all the rest. 

10  That fellow blends everything into delicious works of art, and a'healthy. 

11   I even walked for almost two hours on Saturday. 

12   Grades are done; I've had the time to meet with some friends and family, and I've been learning inspired tunes on guitar and ukulele. 

13   I don't care what the Dead say, I'm going to enjoy these days as never before. 

14   Call it a new lease on life, but 2014 tried to crush all of our spirits. It challenged me on every front, and I believe I conquered the bastard. 

15   These past two weeks have filled me with a great deal of spirit and hope. And I still haven't any papers to grade this week, my own arrangement. 

16   The students have never been more spirited! They don't want to do papers any more than I want to read them. 

17   I'm still trying to get out and see people, but I'm doing a lot of back room shenanigans these days. 

18   I'm lining up some bold life moves. I'll leave it at that. But all good for everybody. 

19   I hope to continue with the exercising. 

20   I never was much of an exerciser. It always looked grueling to me. I always preferred active involvement in sports: baseball, football, basketball, curling...

21

22   M'bad. I was taking myself WAY too seriously. 

23   I tend to keep a basketball in my trunk just in case I happen upon a court, but reality bites. Where to get exercise. Hmmm. 

24   My best exercise occurs in stores and malls. Sometimes I'll walk around Home Depot for an hour just for exercise. 

25   My friend Sean paces at school, and gets into this Socratic intensity. He does it because he IS a philosopher, but he also paces so he can get in a couple of miles while teaching. 

26   So right now I'm filled with health foods, and this is two days in a row. I'm planning on doing lots of hiking, since in this older version of me, I find hiking the nicest way to get exercise. 

27   My basketball is probably flat, or I'd play me some hoops. Yeah that's it, just like Obama and Shemp. 

28   It might be that when I go anywhere there is a basket, the ball never seems to get anywhere near it. 

29   I play trashketball at school 

30   That's where you crumple paper or wet paper towels and chuck them into the waste-paper basket. 

31   At the beginning of the school year, my goal was to become the next Steph at waste-paper baskets. I used to use my prep period to practice so that I could amaze the students with my skeels. 

32

33  The other day I missed trying to chuck a crumpled piece of computer paper into a laundry basket. 

34   For the record again, when I have tons of papers to grade, I cart them to and from school in laundry baskets. It seems oddly fitting. 

35   I often use them as surrogate waste-paper baskets. 

36   You would think I could sink a two-footer. 

37   <basketball buzzer>

38   This past week I've missed at least three two-footers in public. 

39    My dream of being the Steph of the P-building has disintegrated before my frabjous eyes. 

40   I'll get better. You watch. Next year, why I'll...

41   Ah...yeah. 

42   Moving On, Part One: Anybody lookin'?

43   

44   <flings open chamber door>

45    <closes chamber door due to cold seeping in>

46   <chamber door needs a towel to keep the cold out>

47   How come guys like Poe, Thoreau, and Justin Bieber manage to get famous? 

48   I go to write a piece and pour water over my keyboard. 

49   I'll be honest with you. 

50   I wouldn't want to be famous. 

51    Not gonna lie. Not EVEN gonna lie. 

52    I'd need to rely too much on this guy:

53  He's the real Cheese.

54  Oh, bother. 

55   Time to get on my horse. 

56   Gottago.

57   Have a GREAT day.

58   See you again. Get good at stuff, willya? And for Gawd's sakes, stay healthy!

59   Peace.

~H~