A stitch in time saves mine.

I had brunch with my Rabbi today, and talked about writing. Turns out...you'll never guess it...he plays the banjo! Holy Frijoles. I am walking in the path of my ancestors. Truly, the Macabees were the baddest clawhammerin' bastards on this side of the Dead Sea.

I'm having my stitches out today.

And then I am going to continue the job search. Woo!

Score one for God.

Sebben & Sebben Employee Orientation

Check out this Harvey Birdman video I found for you. Funilarious!

Jobs are translation. People get old.

Movies (In order of greatness) :

Ghost in the Shell 2 -- A
American Splendor -- A -
The Day After -- A-
Rocky -- B+
American Psycho -- B+
Unbreakable -- B +
Rebel Without a Cause -- B +
Dead Man Walking -- B
Weather Man -- B
Rope (Alfred Hitchcock) -- B

The Maltese Falcon --Haven't seen it yet...
Vertigo -- Bad Tape!

Breakfast at Tiffany's is playing at a movie theatre in Providence, at midnight! I think I'll go. Especially since my dad doesn't think it's prudent to go bowling at this stage in the recovery game.

IS 292, the school I'm hoping to work for, hasn't called me back, and I haven't been able to get in touch with Ms. Williams yet to ask her what happened. It's looking like I'm back on the campaign trail again, just to be safe. Monday I call IS 292, and then start calling other schools (high schools, hopefully). Although this time I'm able to look anywhere in the city, not just in region 5. Actually, it's funny--my FA told us recently that we were ALWAYS able to look anywhere in the city, the Teaching Fellows just TOLD me I couldn't. I don't take well to lies. But I'm not worried. I'm just warming up *grin*. Ain't no chillins going to escape my tutelage in no east Brooklyn hood.

I went out to the mall today and bought a few fun things--New running earphones (to spite my butt), a really slick black tie (at last!), a hotdog of the gods. While at Macy's I talked with the cashier about teaching. He said he'd worked at the Boy's and Girls' Club a lot, and I told him about the Fellows program. He seemed really enthusiastic, so I gave him my email.

I passed on an old set of The Chronicles of Narnia given to me by my neighbor in the 5th grade. I gave them to a little girl who showed up at our house via friends of the family. Her name was Elektra...seemed very nice, we talked about Redwall and the Lemony Snicket books...she said the latter were her favorite. But she'd never read the Narnia books, only seen the movie. She seemed REALLY excited to get them, kept looking at the box and seemingly waiting to get home, to read them. I wrote my email in the last page of The Last Battle, told her to email me if she finished them all :) . I think she'll be knocked flat. I was. I could think of nothing more strange or interesting than children who had lived out their lives thousands of times as kings and queens in another reality. It warped my mind at a young age and still does. Just a sci-fi guy at heart, I guess.

I also reproached of a woman for having a big, gas guzzling car in the suburbs today. It was a big black Dodge pickup, and the woman driving it couldn't reach the drive-through ATM. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I just decided I didn't have a lot to lose, and that I wanted to know what someone would say if I approached them about the miles per gallon they get. She didn't say anything, really. Just kind of looked at me and drove away.

I feel uptight about my body recently. I used to be in better shape. I'm not worried about myself, and most people make me feel like the kid with an A who wants an A+, which I'm thankful for (You're the best, mom). But I used to be more enthusiastic about exercise during the summer, and something's changed this time around. My FA advisor for the Fellows told us all that we're going to gain weight, which is annoying--I am already doing that. I haven't been able to make a commitment to myself to get "back into the rhythm" of exercising every day, even though I'm involved with people who are a lot more health conscious and inspiring than I used to be. I need an ultimatum.

The banjo sounds a lot like the harp to me recently.

TENURE

You have to wear a wooden house in.
Floors curve to your weight.
Doorways loosen,
The pine in the frame learns
to hold high the sash
without a wooden spoon.
Pets find their corners
rub the molding warm
and stay.

Vike n' Ikes at the silver scream

Hey, I'm alive! I have about 30 stitches on my bottom, but I'm alive. (If you want to see a picture of my butt with stitches, just email me, I guess. I'm all about democracy of information). Doesn't hurt to sit down too much. Just took the bandage off and took a shower today, after 2 days of being pretty heavily medicated and feeling under the weather. I've been watching movies, so here's the update--I'm going to start practicing grading. I think I'll come up with a rubric soon enough, just for fun.

Movies I have watched:

Rebel Without a Cause -- B +
American Splendor -- A -
American Psycho -- B+
Weather Man -- B
Rope (Alfred Hitchcock) -- B
Unbreakable -- B +

Things I've rented but not watched yet:

Ghost in the Shell 2 --
Vertigo --
The Day After --
Rocky --
Dead Man Walking --
The Maltese Falcon --

I've been playing this game a lot. It's helping me relive my Outward Bound Survival Camp training. IN SPACE. BWAHGAH.

Some people who read this would like Regina Spektor, if you've never heard of her. You know who you are. She's like Fiona Apple, but smoother and happier. Non? See below.

Regina Spektor US

You know who you are.

Post-op post up about the op

Teacher training is done. No more work at IS 292 with Ms. Norton, for now. The picture on the left actually very accurately depicts what the last few days were like, for me. Except, without the smiles. Or the spoon.

I have my first week of lesson plans done, and hopefully a job there (only August 8th will know for sure). If I don't have a job there, then it's time to get back on the wagon and call me some dang schools. Hopefully I'll do this pre-op monday morning, as my operation is at 8, and as everyone knows, schools open early. I myself have been getting up around 6ish every morning since July 1. Not to brag. For me, it's impressivo.

Regardless, I'll be back from RI on the 16th, as I have tickets to the COLBERT REPORT on the 17th. Mary's treat. Ass or no ass, I'm there. Then, who knows? School starts August 31. I think I may go hiking.

Yesterday Mary and I went to the OPera at Brooklyn College. We saw Cosi Fan Tuti, the Mozart opera, in Italian. It was awesome, although Mary would hardly beleive me saying that, since I fell asleep once or twice (I was up until 1 every night this week finishing up training stuff). There was almost no one in the theater, it cost 15 bucks (front rowish tickets), and the orchestra came up on an elevator in front of the stage! Faboo.

The day after the opera, Mary and I went to the NYC acquarium at Coney Island, with the crazy kids. It was actually kind of awesome. Would you beleive they have Octopus hand puppets? Well, they do. We saw the Walrus feeding, the Sea Lion show (at the Aqua Theatre, duh), and marvelled at the penguins. There was an octopus too, but he was a shy one. Awww...shy little octopus. Mwah. Oh no! Get off me!

Mary met a fantastic new lover in the dark shadows of the acquarium, at the Alien Stingers exhibit (truly a fascinating investigation into the world of the jellyfish). Fortunately, he had cardboard for brains. My masculinity is safe.


I've been doing well on the banjo! I'll get a video of myself playing up here soon. The other day I was playing in front of all the teaching fellows at Brooklyn College (about 250 people). I was going to do a performance peice for our group's skit--my friend Mike was going to eat White Castle sitting in a chair while I played "over the rainbow" on the banjo. Now, I can PLAY that song. But when I got up there, my brain and chord hand turned to jello. I told them it was my first live performance. It was! I saved all by telling the nacho cheese joke.

My room has AIR CONDITIONING NOW, which is AWESOME in its ability to inspire me to do actual things in my room other than sit in front of the fan and drool steam. Unfortunately I learned that lesson which all young boys must learn in order to become men; I spent too much on the air conditioner, and then had to carry the sucker home and not buy many groceries until payday. It was an ironically hot ride home on the bus. But when you're not dehydrating and hallucinagenic with the heat, you don't eat as much.

I've got to pack up to go home, now. Bus is at 9:30. No eating until 8 tomorrow morning. News at 11.

My latest video is a short documentary. It is entitled The Secret Walrus, not to be confused with The Secret Goldfish, of Holden Caulfield fame.

I just finished Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck), Tender is the Night (Fitzgerald). Starting on The New York Trilogy and The Curious Incident Of the Dog in the Night Time.

The question of the night: Nature or nurture?