The Daily News

1   Happy Wednesday!

2   Happy April the Fool. 

3   There's a tacky concept. I'm not a practical joker; I think they are by and large idiotic.

4   Nothing practical about them except people pranking someone for no apparent reason. 

5   Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a prank if it doesn't single someone out.

6   When I was a lad, I took a for sale sign off someone's lawn and put it on the school lawn near my house. When the school bus stopped, the kids laughed their heads off. 

7  That's a practical joke. 

8   Making someone look stupid isn't.

9   Ah, I'm just codging.

10  Verb I made up.

11  You get like that.

12  Moving On, Part One: Yesterday I wrote about Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen jamming together on this CD that another teacher loaned me. 

13   I didn't mention that my daughter Caitlin and her husband Josh made me series of three CD's that I could use anytime I travel. What a fun birthday present!

14   Immediately after posting yesterday's DN, I grabbed her third CD and popped it into my car player. 

15   The first song out of the chute was Day Tripper, with McCartney at his utter best. Granted it was the Beatles' version, but Paul rocks that song. 

16   This was followed by Born to Run.

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18   I try to point out the significance of coincidences all the time.

19   With me they never stop.

20   I loved the CD's because she included songs I have played on guitar and that we have all sung over the years.

21   She included California Dreamin' by the Beach Boys, featuring Roger McQuinn of the Byrds playing guitar. Rare tune you don't often hear. 

22   Fun, fun, fun.

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24   The trouble with great tunes is I find myself singing them loudly in traffic. When I was younger that was fine, but as a dignified old codger, I need to be aware of my surroundings.

25  I didn't really care yesterday though. It rocked my entire morning. 

26   Great fun. I have a third CD I intend to grab and listen to this morning. 

27  We're on a minimum day today and Friday.

28   Gives new meaning to Good Friday.

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30   I hope I didn't offend anybody.

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32   I got up too early this morning.

33   My students wrote research papers on masks, an annual ritual I have them do when we are in the middle of doing Shakespeare.

34  Tomorrow they all bring Renaissance masks and share them with the class. They annually hang them on the wall in my room, which has now accumulated almost eight years of masks. They stare at me but are a huge part of my classroom decor. 

35  Since I'm retiring, I will have to come to a day when I need to take them all down. I'm still having my current students hang their masks on the wall. It's optional; many students prefer to keep their masks.

36   Yesterday I fell into conversation with a student, who talked about the masks. I told him I wanted to honor this year's students by having them put the masks up, even if we are going to take them down later.

37   I said, "My last day here there will no longer be masks in this room. When I depart, it is going to be like the last episode of Friends."

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39  "I never watched Friends," he said. He quickly added, "I watch Seinfeld. Do you ever watch Seinfeld?"

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42   How do you answer that one?

43   Well, back to the stress.

44   It doesn't go away; it just relaxes for minutes at a time, and then jackhammers you.

45   I gottago.

46   Too much smiling can give you wrinkles, don't you think?

47   See you again. I have to go to the store and buy push pins and string.

48   Nice problem to have.

49   Have a GREAT day.

50   Stay safe.

51   Peace.

~H~