Teen Pregnancies from Hell

I have 5 former Rancho students in my night class at RCC. Two of them are girls who got pregnant while still in high school.

One is no longer a teenager and her son is probably around 3. She's still so young. Her son is autistic and subject to seizures. It's obvious that motherhood has not been easy for her. She balances child, work, and family and she's only about 21--if that. The father is still in the picture. They live together and apparently are engaged. But, at that age, it's going to be hard. I gather that money is already a problem. And I wonder, if the father is anxious to stay in this relationship, why he hasn't married her yet. I may be judgmental, but this is a red flag to me.

The other is this little girl from my class two years ago who got knocked up by this football player (a real creep, in my opinion), who, as far as I know, never even made an attempt to be a part of the baby's life. The girl was a real sweet kid, but very naive and maybe got taken advantage of by this kid. Anyway, I pulled into the parking lot and coincidentally parked right next to this girl's mother. I went to the cafeteria to get a bottle of water for class and, as I came back to the parking lot to get my briefcase, this girl and her mother were having a shouting match about the baby, who they were taking turns holding. The girl had apparently kept her mother waiting in the parking lot and it had gotten pretty ugly. Again, it build down to this girl, still a teenager, not being very successful at balancing school and motherhood.

I just feel sorry for the babies.

I Lose Things Sometimes

I just got a new flashdrive to back up my other spare flashdrive, which had nothing on it. I did this because I lost my old flashdrive I don't know where.

I think I lost it last Thursday, or whenever it started to drizzle. I remember going into Target on Day Street. I put my cell phone in my front pants pocket and remember the sensation of feeling two flashdrives rolling around amongst the pocket cargo. While in target, I called Mama C to she what supplies she needed.

Much later, I was getting my car keys and felt only one flashdrive in said pocket. But it felt like the one I now think I lost. The one I didn't feel is the one with all of the slide shows from the past five years of teaching.

Much, much later, while in a different pair of pants, I found the flashdrive I thought I had lost in a pair of pants I was preparing for the laundry. Somewhere along the line, I could not find the flashdrive I thought I had, which is now the flashdrive I think I may have lost.

The flashdrive I now think I lost has pretty much all of my school-related stuff, pictures, writings, etc. on it. I have most of this stuff--almost all of it scattered amongst my computer at school and my laptop at home--but the missing flashdrive has a couple of things that I have recently updated but not saved to the either computer, like my RCC syllabus.

If my past experience is any indication, I will probably find it in some pocket or shoe or something a month from now.

In the meantime, I did go back to Target to see if they had it in their lost and found. I discovered that the Target lost and found is at the photo developing counter. The girl working their looked through about eleven different drawers, several of cabinets, and even a couple of pencil holders.

I don't think she'll find it even if it's there.

So now I have two flashdrives with everything from my laptop on them. I got a little flashdrive holder to put on my keychain. It can hold both my flashdrives and, since it's attached to my keychain, they will be harder to lose.

I Know How Richard Nixon Felt

I remember reading somewhere that former prez Richard Nixon cried during the finale of a revival of Carousel. I kinda know how he felt, although I don't know that I can explain it. I find myself feeling emotional about things sometimes, these days. I wonder if it's part of growing older.

Back one Christmas, when Pammmmmmy C-Hicklebottom and her family came out, we all went to see Finding Neverland the story of James Barrie and how he came to write Peter Pan)--Billy C, Leemie C, Princess C, Virginny C, Dave (Hicklebottom), and Laura, Michael and Emily Hicklebottom. Tears weeled up at two points: first where Nana the dog made her first entrance and second, where Julie Christy clapped to save Tinkerbell. I sometimes get misty just talking about that moment.

I think it's because I grew up when the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan was broadcast every year--not to mention that Peter Pan was the first musical that Mama C and Daddy C took Billy C and I to see back when we were just lower case c's. Pammmmy C-Hicklebottom was just an unplanned in Mama and daddy C's eyes at the time. Or maybe she was still an infant C.

Ruta Lee played Peter in this version.

So I took Mama C to a production of Peter Pan last night. I'm not sure the occasion meant as much to her as it did to me. Emily Hicklebottom, now a student at a local university joined us.

I mentioned to Emily the emotional tug of this show. I was kinda kidding, but not. Sure enough, through the first half-hour or so, I watched teary-eyed. Strangest thing.

The lady playing Peter was quite good. Her voice was strong and clear, boyish enough. During the one tune I had forgotten about, "Mysterious Lady," she also showed she could sing with great ellegance and range.

Hook also was good. His Mr. Darling portrayal was perhaps a little to fay, but effective.

The flying, while fun, did not have the range I remember. Peter especially had a good time with it. But the kids' flying seemed pretty one dimiensional. Peter used the body-language of flight. The kids often looked at times like they were just being suspended in air.

Mama C began to drift around nine, because she was so tired. So, I think it's matinees from here on. She just can't handle late nights so well.

But we all had a good time and she got to visit with Emily, so it was worth it.

Uke Circle

We never potpone uke circle. Ever. Not even on Superbowl Sunday. It's just as well, because it had only just started when we broke up at 3.

We had about 9 people in attendance I think. I had told everyone that a couple of us would be there at noon to help people get tuned up and help beginners. Do got there on time, but I arrived 15 minutes late due to the fact I stopped by Staples and made copies of some songs.

When I did get there, I tuned my three ukes (I always bring extras, just in case we get a newbie--that, and it's nice to be able to switch instruments when the whim strikes). Then, we got to relax a little and chat with 2nd-timer Sidney, who showed up about when I did.

I think Billie C came in around 12:30.

Showing up early was a good idea because I could be a lot more relaxed--not to mention prepared to play.

I brought copies of three songs. Ana brought a couple. And Fu manchu Rich brought several. I had also laid out stacks of leftover copies I have made over the months--mostly songs that we have played and then lost by the time of the next circle. So we had lots of songs to play and we got of the ground right away and played almost all of them with time to spare.

I like it best when we play a lot.

TV's Kyle guested with a song about a cellar door that wasn't there, Do accompanying him on her uke. Then Do sang the classic "Health Science," a song that she wrote about her Health Science class last summer. Billy C sang the Jacques Brel hit "My Death."

I sang nothing.

We wrapped it up with a rousing rendition of "This Land Is Your Land."

I think next month is the 2nd anniversary uke circle.

Archy and Mehitabel

Every once in awhile, I walk into a situation that makes it hard for me to defend the public school system. Today, I walked into another teacher's classroom to borrow a USB cable for my digital camera. A student teacher was discussing "poetry." She had a "poem" on the screen, the following selection from Don Marquis' Archy and Mehitabel:

The Lesson of the Moth

i was talking to a moth
the other evening
he was trying to break into
an electric light bulb
and fry himself on the wires

why do you fellows
pull this stunt i asked him
because it is the conventional
thing for moths or why
if that had been an uncovered
candle instead of an electric
light bulb you would
now be a small unsightly cinder
have you no sense

plenty of it he answered
but at times we get tired
of using it
we get bored with the routine
and crave beauty
and excitement
fire is beautiful and we know that if we get
too close it will kill us
but what does that matter
it is better to be happy
for a moment
and be burned up with beauty
than to live a long time
and be bored all the while
so we wad all our life up
into one little roll
and then we shoot the roll
that is what life is for
it is better to be a part of beauty
for one instant and then cease to
exist than to exist forever
and never be a part of beauty
our attitude toward life
is come easy go easy
we are like human beings
used to be before they became too civilized to enjoy themselves

and before i could argue him
out of his philosophy
he went and immolated himself
on a patent cigar lighter
i do not agree with him
myself i would rather have
half the happiness and twice
the longevity

but at the same time i wish
there was something i wanted
as badly as he wanted to fry himself
archy

I approached the teacher and said, "I'm a big fan of Archy and Mehitabel. She said, "Oh yes, I love poetry too"--not having the slightest idea what I was talking about.

I asked her if she knew the origin of this "poem." Not a clue. I explained how Don Marquis was a very popular columnist from after WWI and that he had created this character, Archy the cockroach, as a part of his weekly newspaper column. I explained that Archy was the soul of a free verse poet reincarnated as a cockroach and that every night Archy would crawl up onto Marquis' typewriter and hurl himself into the keys one by one and leave Marquis a column for the next day and, because he couldn't manipulate the shift or enter keys, the column would end up looking like a free verse poem.

I then explained that the Mehitabel was a cat who had been Cleopatra in a past life and now found herself living on the streets of New York.

She had no idea what I was talking about.

I didn't bother to tell her that, while certainly having certain poetic qualities, that it better fit the definition of parody because, in actuality, it Marquis was making fun of this new form called free verse, not to mention writers in general and how they suffer for their art.

Anyway, I love Don Marquis and I love the fact that people who have been to college have no idea who he is and don't bother to do a little background work on him. For that matter neither the teacher nor the student teacher had any idea that this poem had not actually been written by a poet named archy.

Don Marquis would probably be laughing his ass off.

Cooking with BABoR

1. Chop two medium-sized onions
2. Mince four clove fresh garlic
3. slice one cup fresh mushrooms thick
4. Layer in crock pot
5. De-skin four bone-in chicken breasts
6. Place on top of vegetables
7. Pour in 1/2 cup of dry white wine
8. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each dried rosemary, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper
9. Add one bayleaf
10. marinade in refrigerator over night
11. Wake up next morning, but not too much
12. Put on bathrobe
13. put marinading chicken crock in pot.
14. plug in
15. feed dogs
16. take shower
17. get dressed for work
18. put pop tart in toaster
19. Put water for tea in microwave
20. Note, while not yet fully awake, that crock pot appears to be set on too high temperature
21 Turn temperature down to lowest setting
22. eat pop tart drink tea
23. go to work
24. forget about chicken, except when anticipating how tasty it will be when you get home
25. return home after work
26. having forgotten about the chicken, stop by MacDonald's and get a Big Mac Combo
27. What the hell, get an extra big Mac
28. Arrive home
29. Fire up the computer and eat your first Big Mac
30. Try to figure out why you eat Big Mac's in the first place
31. eat your second Big Mac, not because you like it, but because you paid for it
32. begin to notice a faint death-like odor
33. remember the chicken
34. return to your crock pot
35. observe the chicken and lack of evidence of its cooking
36. remove the lid
37. note the lukewarm, disgusting chicken laying there like a corpse
38. note that, when you turned the heat down in your still half asleep fog, that you actually turned the setting to OFF
38. begin to throw the chicken, spices, and vegetables into the garbage
39. remember that tomorrow there is a potluck at work
40. Remember you signed up to bring a main dish
41. It is now too late to fix anything
42. set crock pot to LOW this time
43. allow to cook over night
44. take to the potluck
45. HAVE FUN, BUT DON"T EAT YOUR OWN CHICKEN
46. The next day, insist that you got sick after the potluck and that you think it was the lasagne someone brought to the pot luck

Snowy Egret?

Thanks to Billy Canary, who really knows his birds. It was probably snowy egret, shown in flight here:













Except the one I saw looked more like this one, with the yellow beak:

A Big White Bird

Today at school, after the bell rang, a group of students were stood around the window at the back of my room enthralled by whatever they saw. I could hear them saying something about a bird, so I went back there to get them to sit down, thinking that I've seen birds back there too and that it wasn't any big deal. Lake Perris sits in that direction and I have even seen hawks sitting on the fence outside my window.

This time outside my window, a tall white bird (I thought it was a white Ibis, but I have looked it up on Google and this wasn't the same species), strutted slowly about. This type of bird is common at Lake Perris and I have seen them flying over head many times, but never standing this close up.

It stood about three feet tall, maybe four, with long black legs. It was pure white with a long, straight yellow bill. The bird it most resembled would be the Great White Heron, picture above. But those don't go far beyond the Florida Keys. Also, I think Great Whites are bigger than this.

I went out and tried to shoo it over the fence back into its own territory, but it would just fly away a few feet ahead of me. I worried about what might happen if kids saw it during break. But, hey it wouldn't cooperate with me, so I went back to class.