Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2004
Ten Happenings, posted at 9:03 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com A lot of lists lately, which is basically lazy journaling. But I'm going to do it anyway because it's 9pm and I just got home and I still need to plan a remarkable lesson for tomorrow.Happenings:
1. First game is tomorrow. I'm so pumped, I can't even believe it. I feel more ready than I was Monday. We're playing a high school that beat us two games out of two last year, and also beat their opponent on Monday. It will be a good test for us.
2. I spend so much money on things for my classroom and, now, things for my baseball team. I guess that's the plight of being a teacher, something that people don't tend to understand. I buy my own paper, that goes without saying. Today, I bought baseball socks, two clipboards, the black shit for under your eyes, a box of pens, and a notebook. Grand tally of over $50. I'm going to try to do a better job this year of saving my receipts. Maybe someday I can have enough to exceed standard reduction. Looking at that, I'm not sure if that's the right term.
3. I heard Tracy Chapman's song "Fast Car" on the radio today. What a damn great song. One of the best of the last couple of decades. I got to thinking, wouldn't it be funny if someone wrote another song, but from the perspective of the man being sung about? If I was a songwriter, that is a task that I would try to do. You could make it real funny or real sad.
4. Number 3 probably results from the fact that I just assigned my students to write from the perspective of another character in To Kill a Mockingbird.
5. I have been striking out with the ladies lately. I think I'm out of practice. The Polish girl at the second job? Shot down. Yet she still teasingly pinches me and tickles me all day at the restaurant. I don't get this girl. It must be a Polish thing. It has taken me a while to get back up on that horse, the whole dating thing, but the reason can't be attributed to heartache, at least after a while. True, I did think of her today when "Kiss" by Prince came on the radio and I remembered the trip to the karaoke bar, and missed her, but the last year of almost complete dryness has more to do with my more-often-than-not shitty existence during that time than anything else - the detached retinas, the two jobs, the lack of days off, the almost-bancruptancy. I'm feeling pretty positive now and the confidence is coming back, slowly but surely, so I'm sure things will start looking up again soon.
6. Case in point: I booked my first house concert in six months. Sam Shaber. Friday, April 16. If only I could figure out how to update that darn website. Now that I have Baltimore residents who read this thing, maybe I can get a few folks out who have never been before. Brenunda came. And she's even come back a few times!
7. Very interesting political developments. I had heard about all the Richard Clarke stuff when I read about it in Al Franken's Liars book, and I'm glad it's all coming out in the open now.
8. I see Melissa Ferrick on Thursday at Ram's Head. Very excited.
9. My TV hasn't been on in days. I wonder if it's because I don't have cable or if it just naturally wouldn't be on during this tumultuous year. I definitely miss Six Feet Under, but no one is talking about it so that makes it a little easier. I guess I'll just rent or buy the DVDs someday.
10. Today, I contemplated buying one of my players a couple of dress shirts and a tie. I didn't, but I still might. He tells me he can't afford it, and I believe him, because that's usually not something kids lie about and because, after all, 93% of our kids are below the poverty level anyway. He's working another job on the weekends, but I know he's been saving for a couple of months to buy prom tickets and to pay his dues, and I've already made him buy a $40 jersey this year. If I can figure out a way to get it to him without embarassing him, I'll do it. Maybe I'll just get him a gift card to Marshalls and just slip it to him. He's a really good kid, the kind I would trust to housesit or something. I mean, I could afford $30 for a couple of cheap dress shirts and a tie. We'll see. I've gotta think about it. After all, I am too poor to afford a freaking lawyer to save myself from this stupid lawsuit.