2ndclepunkbuddha

    I got a notice in the mail (either snail mail or email, I forget which now) from my high school recently.  I usually give all materials, written or electronic, a quick glance here and there.  Besides the items that are obviously junk mail or spam, I usually pitch them out.  When I get one from my high school, I usually take it upstairs to my apartment and then give it a longer looksee.  Typically these small books are about 20 pages long, filled with updates of the goings on of those currently attending my high school.  I follow a few of them on Facebook and Instagram, maybe a few other miscellaneous social networks whose fire died down a few years ago.  Over dinner I might give a few things a longer read if they peak my interest.  This one particular one was of note because a gal who I went to high school with was being awarded the Distinguished Alumnae Award.  She was in my class as a matter ...

The COVID virus caused a change in the the world in ways we were not prepared for in 2020.  This was felt all across the world in so many ways as we had to cope with the new normal.  Travel was restricted, we could not gather in groups of more than 10, and we had to wear masks at all times.  We were socially distancing ourselves to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus.  This of course, applied to many things we usually take for granted.  We were no longer allowed to gather in any public places to partake in activities we would usually with mass crowds (professional sports events, restaurants, attending church, etc.) without temperature recordings, excessively washing hands, and disinfecting everything in sight.  I think that since the advent of contact lens solution and hand sanitizer the oceans of the world have gone down about two feet since, but that's another story.  One of the things, of course, that took its toll on business and the entertainm...

 Today I did a test run in my endless passion for teaching with another unique situation : I am becoming a driving instructor.  With a private company in my city, I am going to be riding in cars with high school kids as they are in their quest to obtain their first driver's license.  A rite of passage for all of us.  Today, with the owner of the company in tow to observe both me and the driver, we pulled into a high school and picked up a junior.  He was there to do his summer practice for his participation in cross country running.  He also said he participates in swimming as well as track, but due to the Corona Virus he was not able to do his swimming as planned.  I was very lucky, he was really a great driver and didn't seem nervous or unsure of things as he said he had driven quite a bit in the past.  I was pleased to see that this was the case over time as we coasted over country roads with waves as dips.  We also passed the westside mai...

Valentine's Day is once again upon us.  This is not a blog that will be all snarky about my hatred of this holiday like countless others will be, because that's lame.  This will be a stream of conciousness about how and why this holiday is simultaniously loved and hated by others, including me. Even though it was a long time ago now, I can recall what Valentine's Day was like when I was in kindergarten.  Like a lot of others no doubt, it was just so simple, when it was a public holiday and introduction.  Everyone was to bring in a mailbox in which to collect a card from every student in the class, and everyone participated.  I somewhat remember the shoe box I brought in, like everyone else's it was pink, red and white in some way and covered in hearts and lace.  Plus I remember putting a valentine in the box of a boy named Brian's, and his box was blue.  My childhood friend C was across the room.  Since they arranged us alphabetically, I could s...

At different points in life, we all have to move on from things.  Whether it's ending a relationship personal or business, we are often times left feeling alone and abandoned.  The last time I experienced this was when I ended my relationship with a theater company of which I had been on their board for nine years.  While reasons behind it were based on attitudes as well as poor business decisions that drove a lot of dedicated people out, it was still hard to accept this.  But like all things, eventually we get used to it and say "life goes on".  And, it does. I am feeling a rather different kind of sadness that maybe some out there can related to in the education world.  There is the moment when you realize that you have to leave the students soon.  In many cases it's a mixed bag of emotions.  Of course kids are not perfect, be they big kids or little kids, and they give you a lot of headaches and stress you out when trying to get all the work ...

This week I found out that someone from my past died in February of this year.  I said I wasn't going to acknowledge it, but, like we all know, life is complicated.  It makes you think of other things and what you should and should not do, the mistakes we all make, and decisions for the better or for the worse.  Out of respect for her family (if she had any friends I would respect them as well, but she didn't seem to have any) I will not mention even her first name, as they may not have been aware of certain things she was or was not doing.  Still, I think there are some things that need to be said for everyone out there and have to come out of me about this.  I will call her Jane. Jane and I went to high school together, she was two years ahead of me.  We didn't know each other during the time we were in high school, she and I reconnected a few years after when she called begging for money to give to the institution.  For some reason, we connected o...