The DN

Can we talk?
"She didn't just tiptoe into the genre. She howled at the closed door until it fell off its hinges."
                                 --Tony Hicks

Joan Rivers, 1933-2014

1  I can't. I won't. I'm going to share Joan Rivers' bio, and you be the judge. Her treatment by Carson and Company speaks volumes. There is a bit of a wow factor running through all of this. Here is her Wiki bio:

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1SAVC_enUS505US506&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=joan+rivers+wiki

2   Remind me never to cut/paste again. I wrote the following stuff into the 1 a.m. and it advanced to the 2 a.m. but it highlighted when I finally saved it. I don't care. It bears going into the wee hours. Here is my take on the passing of Joan Rivers. I re-wrote it so that it looks better. Cosmetics. I'm telling you. Here go:

3   So...Joan Rivers walks into a bar. 

4   Strong stuff. 

5   "Every laugh is like a small vacation to someone," she once said. She made me laugh, even though a lot of it was mean spirited. Mean spirited? Well...yeah. Talented? Great sense of timing? Strong beyond belief? We have to say yes to those as well. 

6   Amazing woman, no matter how you feel.

7   One of the strongest in the history of show biz.

8   The entire situation with Johnny Carson banning her from the The Tonight Show, followed by both Jay Leno AND Conan O' Brien respecting that speaks volumes about the treatment of powerful and successful women in our society. 

9   Conan? Seriously? He was a pipsqueak compared to her. I always thought he was overrated, and I never understood how he got the job to begin with. Contrast to current late-night talent: Fallon, Kimmel, Ferguson are all lights out better than Conan. 

10  For the record, Jimmy Fallon got it. He invited Rivers on his first Tonight Show in February, and had her back for an interview in March. 

11  As for subsequent late-night women hosts?

12  <crickets>

13   How dare a brash, talented woman even dare attempt to compete with the royalty and chauvinistic conceit of The Tonight Show. How dare she try to become as successful as her mentor. 

14   The entire Pymalion/My Fair Lady theme stands unchallenged. 

15   Strong talented women. We just can't have that. We certainly can't have them competing with the big boys. Message by Carson, Leno, and the lame O' Brien: Don't even try, bitch. 

16   I absolutely loved Joan Rivers. At times she would be so outrageous that I would cringe. Most times I would laugh like crazy. 

17   I love strong women. 

18   We still live in a society that is ridiculously sexist and archaic. 

19   At the risk of going there, ask any teacher: who tends to do better in school, boys or girls?

20   No brainer. Oh, there are tons of boys who can make that not true, but overall, any teacher will tell you that girls tend to be more mature and more ready to learn than are boys. 

21   Anyone lookin'?

22   I wasn't going to comment too much on the passing of this amazingly talented lady, but over the years she made me laugh more than nearly anyone. 

23   Her strength and character, while brash and sometimes hurtful still dazzles me. 

24   Not gonna lie. 

25   Not EVEN gonna lie.

26   Joan Rivers was and remains an icon, every bit as talented as all the horses' asses who shot her down. 

27   And she remained strong and insulting to the bitter end. 

28   History will show us this.

29   Mean, mean, mean, but amazingly funny. Oatmeal coming-out-of-your-eyes-and-nose funny. 

30   I probably lost a bazillion people on this one. 

31   Throw it at me. 

32   Joan Rivers had more talent than the majority of the poser celebs out there. Most have the looks but not the street. 

33   It's into the 2 a.m. Standing up for strong wimminz ain't easy. 

34   I better head out the back way before someone starts throwing stuff at me. 

35   Love you, Joan Rivers. May you go to hell, choke your idiotic husband for killing himself, and then rise to the clouds and bring laughter to those who might appreciate it. 

36   See ya.

37   Peace. 

~H~

The DN

"I'm painting the room in a colorful way, and when my mind is wandering...there I will go."

---John Lennon and Paul Macartney

1  Remember last week (or was it two weeks ago?) when I reported about the student who loves obscure songs?

2   His name is John. He's the one who requested the Ink Spots' I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire, among other obscure gems. 

3   He has since requested songs that cross generations. 

4   Yesterday my classroom exploded into a colorful magazine workshop. I brought in bright-colored paper, glue sticks, two-sided tape, brand new magazines for cutting up, and let the kids loose.

5  They are required to make magazines that contain articles, which are cleverly disguised personal narratives and expository essays. 

6   They all loved the activity, as it was a minimum day schedule anyway. 

7   Engaging, to coin a trend-up word. 

8   They got a chance to work with friends, chat, and get work done on a huge project. 

9   In the midst of all of this, John called me over. He had on a Led Zeppelin black tee. 

10  "Could you play 'Fixing a Hole'?" I stopped.

11  "By the Beatles?" I asked.

12   "Yes."

13   You may know that I play all sorts of music when students are doing desk work. I cross all styles and ranges, but rarely do I ever play Beatles. I don't know why I don't. I'm afraid they might hate it. 

14   I'm good with Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Muddy Waters, Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi (yesterday I played "Autumn"), and even mysterious music from ancient cultures, but for some reason I have avoided the Beatles over the years. 

15  " 'Fixing a Hole' coming right up."

16  I looked up. Students looked like they were at a dance. They chatted, wrote, worked and enjoyed, when suddenly the room filled with "Fixing a Hole." Here are the lyrics:

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go

I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong 
I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong

See the people standing there who disagree and never win
And wonder why they don't get in my door.

I'm painting the room in a colourful way
And when my mind is wandering
There I will go.

And it really doesn't matter if
I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right 
Where I belong

Silly people run around they worry me
And never ask me why they don't get past my door.

I'm taking the time for a number of things
That weren't important yesterday
And I still go. 

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go.


17  I went back in time. I remembered how much I loved listening to Beates' music over the years. I loved the creativity and the fun use of diminished chords, tight harmonies, and exciting rock n' roll.

18  I segued into "Getting Better" "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" and finished off with "A Day in the Life."

19  John looked up on that one. " 'A Day in the Life'," he said with a knowing smile. 

20  I nodded and smiled. The class had no idea, but suddenly the Renaissance masks hanging on the wall made more sense, the room seemed to fill with color, and I felt I was flying a Yellow Submarine. 

21  I did bits and piece the rest of the day, looking way forward to my last class, which is a class that has already bonded wonderfully. 

22  It worked.

23  As the end of that class came to a close and the end of "A Day in the Life" timed wonderfully with it, one of my best students remarked, "That music is creepy Mr. Harrington!"

24

25  "They intended for it to be creepy. They had a huge orchestra playing all sorts of random notes, and used four pianos at the end for the final note. It's one of the greatest moments in rock history."

26  He appreciated that. 

27   It was all very cool. 

28   The day felt like a masterpiece to me. 

29  You get days like that, but usually not this early. 

30   I grabbed my guitar after class and it was in perfect tune. I strummed along, since I know the song quite well. 

31   I went back in time.

32   I hope you did too.

33   See you again.

34   Peace. 

~H~

The DN

1  It's late; almost into the 1 a.m.

2  It's all good.

3   I got home, graded papers, made a huge salad, graded more and then conked out when the Giants were down.

4   You shouldn't do that with September baseball!

5   The good news is that I didn't have to sit through all those innings of torture.

6   The better news is that the Giants are getting better by the minute. 

7   Is it sustainable?

8   History says yes.

9   We'll see. 

10  Loved it. 

11  I managed to grade the rest of the papers from around 10:30 to now, which is officially today.

12  Well, last night at 1 a.m.

13   Anybody lookin'?

14   Felt good.

15   I am SUCH an insomniac.

16   I consider myself a professional at it.

17   It's funny because insomniacs are a misunderstood set.

18   Contrary to popular opinion, we get plenty of sleep.

19   We just stagger it a bit. Sometimes we sleep a few hours in the afternoon and go big guns into the wee hours.

20  Other times we blast through everything until around ten p.m. and then conk out, wake up at two, work two hours and then sleep in.

21  Hard to explain, but the concept is that when we need to be rested, we are. 

22  I'm certain that grad students get this. 

23  I'm certain a lot of hard-working people get this. Many of you work two or more jobs. Insomnia sometimes becomes you.

24  I like it because I stay on top of my stuff. 

25  When school's in session, I have to. You don't EVER want to fall behind if you wish any sort of life.

26  It is sometimes rough, but last night was fun. The students wrote about how they got their names. Many were religious. Many were last-minute blurts by their parents. Many were named after relatives.

27  The stories poured in, and each capped the previous one. 

28  For example, one of my students' parents loved Disney, and wanted to name their kid Mickey. The family protested, so they changed it to Rickey. 

29  He now goes by Rick, and is proud of his name. That's pretty fun. 

30  Another student wasn't sure, but was certain he was named Jerry after Jerry of Tom and Jerry. 

31  Another was named after Islamic gods, and a village. 

32  The majority had beautiful stories, cultural stuff, and humorous stuff. 

33   One question I asked in my prompt was, "If you could change your name, would you? And to what?"

34  My favorite answer was Kal-El, Superman's name as a baby. 

35  I know this is a bit cartoony, but those one's naturally jumped out. 

36  Most were really proud, especially if they were named after a relative who had passed away. 

37  Lots of soul, and LOTS for them to share and to be proud of. 

38  That sort of paper grading is a joy.

39  Made it easy for me to stay up a little later and polish this stuff off. 

40   I'm loving my classes this year. This makes things so much nicer.

41   Moving On, Part One: While I did all that, the teevee was still tuned to the Giants' stuff. They had a special about Jim Harbaugh going to an impoverished village in Mexico and helping a community with housing, community involvement, church, and other things. I wasn't watching carefully enough, but just enough to at least get this out there. 

42   He taught impoverished children how to play football. It didn't look like posing either. Harbaugh has always been a church sort of guy, and has helped those less fortunate than he for years.

43  It gave me a little more faith in the Niners.

44  Trent Baalke on the other hand...

45   I guess as a union guy I should understand "due process." I'll leave it at that. I guess he's right presuming innocence in the Ray McDonald case. It's just that TOO many Niners are out of control. It's becoming a character issue as well. His teammates are a bit on the spot having microphones in their faces. Tough to turn on someone you work with. 

46  That team is out of control and doesn't seem to get it.

47   That's the bottom line. And I never thought I'd hear myself talk like that. Don't get old and crotchety. I feel like that guy in Up. But only for this moment. Fear not. I'll go in with smiles today. 

48    Moving On, Part Two: Gottago; it's around 1:10. Proud to have done this fast!

49   Have a GREAT day. Stay safe.

50   See you again.

51   Peace. 

~H~

...

The DN

AND NOW, THE AOL NEWS

Breaking: Carrie Underwood is pregnant!

10 hairstyles that make you look 10 years younger.

10 ways to wear white pants after Labor Day.

9  foods for healthy, beautiful hair.

1  Ah, autumn.

2  Always comes with as much nonsense as every other season.

3  I had forgotten...

4  Two major news items involve hair. That pretty much omits me. 

5   I'm glad to know there is an article about 10 ways to wear white pants after Labor Day. Quite a headline.

6   Exciting times. 

7   I must admit I'm dying to read the article. You KNOW what that thing's about.

8   Good to see journalists hunting down some serious investigative stories. They're all over it. 

9   Moving On, Part One: So Giants and A's fans, lots to like.

10  Never saw the Raiders.

11  And suddenly having a REALLY difficult time liking the Niners, who are completely out of control. 

12  Imagine if any one of us did half the felonies those thugs did. 

13   We wouldn't just lose a few days work. We'd probably be placed in prison for several years. 

14   The entire Niners' organization looks bad, bad, bad these days. 


15   Just a bit lost on that one.

16   Can I get a "Meh?" or has that one jumped the proverbial shark?

17   Well here's a switch: there's always baseball, for a while I hope. 

18   Moving On, Part Two: Had a great visit with my Dad this weekend. I decided that on Saturday I wasn't going to sit around grading stuff. His internet was down, which made all of it better. 

19   I cooked him some awesome food. We had roast beast and garlic, and an amazing omelette Sunday afternoon. 

20   I haven't had a lot of time to cook lately because of school. 

21   No internet at Dad's. At first I went through the throes of an addict. 

22   No net? I can't survive! Horrors! EEEEEEEK!!! I actually have to talk with people in person? 

23   I didn't bother staying at a 24/7 post in case the school needed me. 

24   How did education EVER survive when we couldn't bother our teachers all hours of the night?

25   I didn't. I'm pretty certain I was that child that was left behind. I'm not EVEN gonna lie.

26   Anyone lookin'?

27   Anyway, talking with Dad is sort of like talking to a soldier on a battlefield. 

28   He's lost a lot of his hearing, so his teevee thunders loudly for a good part of the day. When I do talk to him I'm pretty sure he can't hear me because he responds with things that are natural responses: "Someone's gotta do it." "Whatever floats your boat." and my fave, "I don't even listen anymore."

29   Other times he can hear everything perfectly. Those are the fun moments. Last year I walked into his house, took off my hat and chucked it toward a chair. It missed by about six leagues.

30  He looked up from his Chronicle and remarked, "Why don't you just leave that hat where it is and throw the chair?"

31   Love that man. GREAT weekend at Dad's. 

32  Moving On, Part the Thoid: Welp, I got home from Dad's the other night only to find my summertime umbrella had blown to the ground and broken. 

33  I don't believe in symbols or omens or anything like that, except all the time, but that looked to me like the end all.

34  All the lazying outside sipping lemonade and enjoying the flowers gone in an instant. 

35  TMC just played the theme song to Gone With the Wind, just as I wrote that.

36   God, or Joe-the-Bear, or whoever it is we believe in has a clear sense of humor.

37   Ironically, I had decided against using the term "Gone With the Wind" because it would have been too expected and easy.

38   Someone or some thing done it for me. 

39  Moving On, Part Four: Ah, things could be so much worse. 

40  If those are my troubles I have no troubles.

41  Well, it looks as though I had better cut this one short. I'm not so sure I'll be able to keep this nineteenth year of the DN going.

42   I'll try, but there are lots of things telling me to back off. 

43   The world tells you things like this.

44   I'll keep going, but I don't see my workload lightening any time soon. 

45   Plus there's a bit of a Big Brother thing going on and I'm quite uncomfortable with it. 

46   I used to pop that one on the nose, but I'm pretty sure I've fought and won most of those battles. I'm pretty done withal. 

47  For now, we'll keep the fire going. Or hopefully, the air conditioning. No point in being muggy and sweaty. And I have to slide into some white pants now that it can happen post Labor Day. I'll look sleek as a white-shoed golfer. 

48  That's it for now.

49  Gottago.

50   Stay safe. Get offline and listen to the world. 

51   See you again.

52   Peace.

~H~