The Daily News

1   Ah, Frideeeeeee!!!!!!!

2   Teachers from all walks of life walked through walls yesterday.

3  I have a theory as to why, but you won't see it here.

4  Newp.

5   SMH.

6   Hint: Wednesdays are meeting days.

7   Bleh.

8   Moving On, Part One: Our crazy neighbor seems to have calmed down after screaming at people, threatening to pop tires, and driving his truck recklessly into his speedboat and then careening it around the corner.

9  What was REALLY scary is that the guy doesn't drink. In fact, he's always been pretty friendly and sober.

10

11  I KNOW, I KNOW.

12  Trust me.

13   I'm just saying that this guy has recently been like this in what would otherwise be considered a normal state of mind.

14   Anyway, his Christmas lights finally stayed off after this past weekend (I haven't checked to see if they're down yet) and he's been out of the picture.

15   I'm finally sleeping a little better.

16   I have another neighbor who just annoys me. He somehow knows exactly when I'm going outside and manages always to be outside at the same time.

17   If I go out to pick up a midnight snack, he's always just arriving home when I get home.

18   If I go outside to get the paper, HE walks out to his driveway and scrambles for boushit in his car.

19   If I go into the back and cut his overhanging tree off my side of the house, he decides to go out back and do yard work.

20   It is like he plans it.

21    My house borders four or five neighbors and this happens with none of the others.

22   The guy also has a front yard that is ornamented with permanent Christmas lights, hanging dish towels, weird statues, and various pieces of strewn junk.

23   Pride of ownership.

24   Oh, sometimes I think I must go mad.

                             --Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff

25

26   

27   Moving On, Part Two: Ah, I kid.

28   I actually love these people.

29   We play Bridge, and we rattle jewelry. No lie.

30   Moving On, Part Three: I'd like to send out a huge congrats to Rene, who officially retires from the Rat Race today at 5. 

31   Huge congrats, and I can't wait to see her free of all that stress.

32   Gives me notions.

33   Anyway, an enormous congratulations. I can't wait to see that stress and boushit finally get pushed aside.

34   You have earned this, in spades. Welcome home!!! 

35   Party hats and blowers for everyone! 

36   Moving On, Part Three: Although this is considered Friday Light, I can't avoid the hype of Super Bowl Sunday. As much as I hate to say it, it almost seems pre-ordained that the Seahawks will win, and by a large margin.

37   I hope not. I've always been a fan of Tom Brady so I'll remain in that arena. 

38  I just wish it were on Saturday. Why don't they change that? Who wants to party on a Sunday night?

39    Uh...'Murica? Everybody and his or her brother or sister? Even the politically correct? Quakers? Eunuchs?

40    Uh...yup.

41    I gottago 'fore I get myself in trouble. Friday Light, dontcha know.

42    See you again. Have a GREAT weekend.

43     Peace.

~H~

The Daily News

1  I am really glad that I will never become a candidate for American Idol.

2   I could take that further: There was never a moment in my life when I could have become a candidate for American Idol.

3   NOMBL.

4   That stands for Not on my Bucket List. Everything stands for stuff you know. 

5   The lovely part of  getting older is you happily change your bucket list to things you actually might get off your rear and do.

6   Honestly? I'm pretty content.

7   I remember a time I wanted to sky dive.

8   Not only do I no longer want to do that, I don't want to think about doing that.

9   There was a time I would have. I'm frightened of roller coasters, but the thought of diving out of an airplane never bothered me.

10  Why?

11  Maybe because I would feel I had more control flying over open fields.

12  I have para-sailed, for example.

13  And now?

14  I'm content.

15   I've come to realize that content is a nice place.

16   I'm happy. I'm happy just to walk around. I like the ground. I like trees. I like the sky. I don't necessarily want to ride through it. 

17   I guess that's a good thing.

18   I would jump out of an airplane if I were attached to a bear.

19   I just need something to cling to. Like the ground. I'm glad I'm grounded. 

20   Moving On, Part One: I've enjoyed my veggie lifestyle lately. I once told students never to begin a thesis with anything remotely associated with vegetables. I'm going against my own advice. If only I'd listen.

21   The first things I grab when I get home are carrots, zucchini, lettuce, cauliflower, blueberries and almond soy milk.

22   I blast a veggie shake and smack my lips.

23   It's been great, although I've been REALLY exhausted on arriving home.

24   I think maybe if I get home by parachute...

25   Moving On, Part Two: I've been sneaking Double-Cream Oreos when nobody's looking.

26   

27   Hey, nobody's perfect.

28   I never signed on as a role model. I just needed a job, and teaching, as Ponch and I observed years ago, beats workin'. 

29   It's been a fun time. Sometimes it is diving out of an airplane. Sometimes the airplane lands on you. It's not unlike the life of Wile E. Coyote. 

30   Dude. I've let my public down. I can't get off the Double-Cream Oreos. The caps give them proper noun status.

31    I like to think that's something. 

32    I'm on a fifty-step program.

33    Double-cream! Who DOES that?

34   I haven't licked all the cream off one side...quite yet.

35

36   It's only a matter of time.

37   I'm going to Oreo Hell.

38   There's help out there. I know it.

39

40

41

42    That's it. The meaning of life is 42, and I'm going for a Double-Cream Oreo AND a cold glass of Almond Soy Milk.

43   All RIGHT. All RIGHT.

44   

45   I almost said that I'll stop.

46   Not this guy.

47   fafdasdffsdfsdfsdfs.

48   Thursday. Garbage Day. They stack up.

49   Either way, there's an easy way out of this.

50 

51   

  

52   Or not.

53

54

55    

56    Huh? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

57    Okay.

58    Here go.

59

60     

61  That more like it?

62   Gottago.

63   See you again.

64    Happy Garbage Day.

65   Peace.

~H~

The Daily News

1   Wednesday.

2   See how swiftly it all happens?

3   We always seem to be ready for the Next Big Thing.

4   Freud would have considered that a death wish. 

5   Or Ford. 

6   Or some psychological guy who had too much time on his hands. 

7   Might have been Fred.

8   Might even have been Wilma for having married Fred.

9   Goodness gracious. 

10  Or, it might just seem we ARE ready for the Next Big Thing. 

11  Little kids, for example are ALWAYS ready for the Next Big Thing, unless it involves a bath and going to bed. 

12   Who knows, who knows. 

13   Moving On, Part One: After I gave a brief lesson on the proper use of nouns yesterday, I put on the Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz film. 

14   No reason. I had it on a speaker, but just playing quietly while my students worked on an assignment. 

15   I mentioned it to some of them, and some became interested instantly. 

16   I figured it's probably nice to throw a few Urban Legends into a lesson, just to spruce it up a bit. 

17   It was pretty low-key. 

18   I loved it, because I turned my MacPro laptop towards the students. 

19   It wasn't a big screen or anything, just something slightly interesting.

20   I loved glancing at it upside down, rightside up, and sideways. 

21   The music played quietly, and each time there was a nice sync-up, I'd smile. 

22   At one point I was going through the skits the students did. I had put some notes, and had copies of the scripts. 

23   For some reason, I went blank on Auntie Em's name, so I Googled it. 

24   Don't get old. I was like, "Auntie Em. Wizard of Oz, right?"

25   It was instantly confirmed, but you know how you sometimes become unsure of things that you previously had been sure of your entire life?

26

27   <crickets>

28   

29   Have I told you I know how to read feet? <twidling thumbs>

30   Anyway, I came upon a skit written by this student named Anthony. He was in a skit with another girl named Emily, which interestingly is my grandmother's name. 

31   There was an exchange between the two, and he had abbreviated his name and her name so that it read like this:

Ant: Blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah.

Em:  Blah BLAH blah.

32   I didn't bring the script home last night, but you get the idea. 

33   I then looked more carefully. Pink Floyd AND Wizard were playing to the masses when I looked at the script a second time.

34    Ant...Em...

35   It all swirled around me. I had to call Anthony to my desk so he could goof on the coincidence. At first he looked puzzled, but then was taken aback. 

36   We shared a coincidental laugh. 

37   Last night Helene and I were thinking up great traveling songs, which were going to be a gift to someone.

38   I won't go into details. 

39   At one point, I said, "The entire Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon is a GREAT traveling song--the entire album!"

40   At that same exact moment, my daughter Nicole texted Over the Rainbow from Wizard as a great traveling song. 

41   The funny thing is that that particular topic hadn't even come up yet. 

42   Wizard. 

43   Coincidences. 

44   I report them to people almost every time they happen so that people start to see. 

45   Notice the Messages. 

46   It's fun getting older.

47   You get all sorts of spiritual things flying at you. I like it. Gives me a lot of faith that the Universe is, as MLK said, "on the side of Justice."

48   Wednesday.

49   Meetings. Always a bit of tomfoolery if you ask me. 

50   Meh. 

51   Want another fun coincidence? I Googled "Freud" AFTER I mentioned all the coincidences, and the picture of "Pink Freud" (see above) popped up on Google images. I'd never seen it before. 

52   I almost went over. 

53   Instinct had me print it immediately, so that I could show it to...myself. Everyone else had turned off phones, lights, and electronics and were safely snoozing.

54   "Lotta black ink!" I troubled.

55   

56   Yup.

57   Wednesday. 

58    They're minimums each week. We're out early and then we collaborate so that our students will improve. 

59   Nice plan.

60   I gottago.

61   See you again.

62   Pink Freud. Who knew?

63   Peace.

~H~

The Daily News

1   I stepped into my classroom yesterday and sank to the bottom.

2   Those sorts of things can happen to a fellow on a Monday morning early.

3   It began so well.

4   It began with an immaculate room and a Post-It note that said, "Good morning, Mr. H! Have a GREAT week!"

5   It was signed like this: ~H~ and had a smiley.

6   Man Bites Dog?

7   Well, not exactly.

8   At one point in my second go-round I changed my name.

9   At YB, I was and will always remain ~H~.

10  At EV I have almost evolved to Mr. H.

11  It's a perfect term, although I think I share it with another.

12  He, of course, is an imposter.

13

14   <carnival music up> <Godspell stuff> hashtagneverabadthing.

15   Anyway, I read that, took two steps forward and sank like the proverbial stone.

16   I didn't want to be there.

17   I had unfinished skits to finish before I could start clean.

 18   This meant other classes would  finish the classwork early.

19  You don't want this early in the week.

20   I prefer all classes moving at an equal speed. It makes planning easier.

21   This wasn't going to happen.

22   On a Monday to boot.

23   So I sank.

24   I put on some Brubeck. Always nice. You have to work out of these situations. Music works. 

25   Take Five.

26   Good answer early.

27   After around a half hour, one particular jam took off and began to annoy. I switched it out with some live Manhattan Transfer. I was enjoying it immensely when a student raised her hand and pointed out that the vocab word "insipid" was missing its middle "i" I nodded my head. Inside, however, I thought this:

28   "Are you $#!TTl!NG meeeeee???" Bleh. "SEESLY???" I looked up calmly and said, "Oh. I'm sorry; I hadn't noticed..." I climbed out of the pool, dried off, wrote the correct spelling, and informed the class.

29   I try each week to put a perfect list up there, but each week I battle fonts that leap and jump.

30   Later, in my English 1A class, a student pointed out that there was no number 16 on the word list.

31   I looked again at the board and saw that "insipid" was #6 for English 2A. It was still recovering. I swiftly drew a "1" in front of the "6" and viola! English 1A was running with ze boolz!

32   It was that sort of Monday. 

33   During my fourth period English 2A class, the Manhattan Transfer rocked Vocalese Live '86. I tapped my and feet and smiled.

Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ll0iYPyoY

34  I know right? Good vibe while students worked on classwork.

35   

36  A bit later on, this student named John raised his hand. "Mr. Harrington?" He's a pretty respectful student. He reached in his backpack and produced Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. "Can you play this for us?"

37  I smiled and my mind drifted.

38

39  "Yes, John. Instantly." I bade Manhattan a good day. Pink Floyd. Dark Side. Holy Grail. I immediately slipped it into my MacPro. I then Googled the Dark Side/Wizard of Oz connection.

40  I'll keep it short. Someone somewhere figured out that if you put on The Wizard of Oz (Oh please! There's only one!) and on the MGM lion's third roar you begin Dark Side, they will sync perfectly.

41  I played Floyd and researched that stuff and ran it off for John and friends to explore.

42   I saw a website that synced it up.

43   Last night I put it all on at around 10:42.

44    Here's what came up:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=AwrTcdrWMsdU7hAAosknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB0MzkwOG5yBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwNF8x?p=wizard+of+oz+pink+floyd+youtube&tnr=21&vid=E3615979AA8F9E8C7E6BE3615979AA8F9E8C7E6B&l=2584&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DUN.608046002369136779%26pid%3D15.1&sigi=11rl9mqkj&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F11673067&sigr=10pr3ncdb&tt=b&tit=The+Dark+Side+of+OZ&sigt=10jsa1e8q&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dwizard%2Bof%2Boz%2Bpink%2Bfloyed%2Byou%2Btube%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&sigb=13d0hg0k3&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

45  That's a nine. This video is apologetic and tries to explain all of the coincidences that seem to sync the two pieces of art. It overly apologizes in my eyes. 

46   I never subscribed to the fact that Pink Floyd ever deliberately did anything with Wizard. Still, there are outstanding moments, and it is a lark. Here is a less intrusive version, and it explains nothing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=627aciBA2E8

47   Perfect thing to drift off to. It's really brainless, which is a partial theme of Wizard. 

48  I finished my day looking forward to playing around. My other classes did a lot of "whatevs" that no longer concerned me. "We're missing someone from our skit..."

49  Okay. 

50  "Your classical music is REALLY annoying."

51   "It's a Japanese artist. His name is Sho-Pan."

52   And bleh, bleh, bleh. 

53   All I thought about was Floyd and Wizard. I didn't really care nor believe there was anything to it. I just think they work perfectly together. 

54   When I did The Wizard of Oz years ago, it had a great many coincidences too numerous to list here. I recall one time turning left on Story Road, where you head for 680. I glanced at a series of windows next to Tacos Al Carbon. Someoene had tagged, "Oz, Oz, Oz" on them, for example. We're talking King and Story here. 

55   Anyway, the sinking yesterday came to a halt. I allowed myself once again to toss school aside and enjoy my own life. 

56   That has become a positive pattern here in the Year of Our Lord 2015.  

57   Us and Them is playing in the background right now. 

58   It isn't exactly Sho-Pan, but it is an amazing piece. 

59   I gottago.

60   Have a GREAT day, and enjoy the video. It is so worth wasting your time on. At worst it's a nice nap. Pamper yourself. Get headphones and drift. 

61   See you again.

62   Peace. 

~H~