Tom Cruise is a Very Dangerous Man

I don't usually pay much attention to the thoughts of silly little actors, I know there may be some intelligent life out there, but I do not count Tom Cruise as such. He is a decent actor who has participated in a few good films, but many folks may put some stock in what this actor has to say. That makes him a very dangerous man. He does not believe that there is in fact any such thing as mental illness. On the Today Show he spoke with Matt Lauer and stated "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance." He offers this opinion based on his in depth study of the history of psychiatry. He did not offer up any of his degrees in the area of medicine, sociology or history. He may have a degree, he just did not state such among the ego driven maniacal display on the Today show. I have to assume the man has never studied human biology, or he may have the slightest clue that humans are made up of chemicals and most physical problems involve an imbalance. You understand if you have any idea of human cell structure that chemical imbalances cause everything from the common cold to cancer. The last time I looked the brain is considered a physical part of the physical body and just teeming with all sorts of chemicals. I suppose while the rest of the body fights chemically induced problems every second of every day of our lives the brain is somehow immune. So maybe after the huge hurdle of removing the giant stigma from the diagnosis of mental illness, Mr. Cruise almighty has set the standard back one hundred years or so. He offers that anyone can be mentally sound with the application of proper diet and exercise. I might offer to Mr. Cruise that he should attempt to eat the proper foods and get plenty of exercise, because he is whacked to the hilt. I sincerely hope that those folks out there being helped by meds see this fool for what he is, an actor who read a couple of books, specifically chosen to support his POV. May he sail happily ever after on the river Styx. Mean one meaner than ever and out .

Sexy Bloggers

Wow blogging is sexy! I just heard that People Magazine is publishing its sexiest bachelors issue and at least one of these sexy men is a blogger. I hope he is at least intelligent. Intelligence is something a person with a promethean temperament prefers. Those people are also field marshals (bossy). My husband and I both married someone like that. Hmmm.
I'm struggling with the book I have chosen to read. I did find Kite Runner at Costco and picked it up. I'm tempted to start reading it instead or along with.
Drove up to Irvine this weekend on a mission took a side track to the Spectrum. It has a large ferris wheel. I would not go on it with my husband, he likes to rock the gondola. Maybe I'll take my girls up there for lunch and a ride.
A friend of mine got sneaky on me and listened to closely to the stuff that comes out of my skull. She bought me the Best of the Motels CD. It's so 80's but I love it. Thank you friend.
Trying to ignore politics for the summer. I'm beating the heck out of myself trying to get the house ready for more negligence in the fall. You know there are not many "N" words in the dictionary. Well just wanted to poke my mean old head in, see ya

I'm Okay, maybe.

I thought I would definitely lose it on the last day of classes. Almost did it once as I watched the students as they were watching cartoons and socializing. I got to thank them and say good-bye. They were so nice. I'm really going to miss them. My cooperating teachers all gave me these big speeches about how it's just another day, and how you are glad to see the finished product move forward, but they all got misty at one point or another. Big talkers.
A note on the effect of video on the human mind. There is a commercial for who knows what, maybe Monster.com, and there is a pirate looking for a job. The company boasts it can find a job for anyone even someone who can only say "AARGH" Every time this interviewer asks the pirate a question he just says "AARGH". So now my husband and I have started using the expression for everything that is not quite right in life. We miss a green light; "AARGH" so forth and so on. When we went to Downtown Disney we used it everytime we saw something having to do with pirates. Unfortunately we went into the Disney store (me thinks it's the world's largest) where there is an abundance of pirate gear and paraphanalia. I pulled out a t-shirt with a pirate ship on it that said "Dead men tell no tales" and I exclaimed loudly "AARGH" and my husband followed suit. Well there were some people standing around the display who suddenly dashed away. Blast those TV commercials anyhow. Okay I've got to sail out of here now matey, AARGH!

I Need to get my Teacher's Voice

Gee, so far I've only had to have my student's voice. My cooperating teacher told me I needed to develop my teacher's voice. She says I cannot be nice right off the bat. I guess I had better get my mean in gear. I met with my master teacher today and observed her 8th grade class. It is typical in that there are the sleepy, the clowns, the outspoken and the self motivated. These kids have been freshly slapped with the real world and all of its ugly underbelly. They carry the fresh wounds like armor plate covering someone who has had their skin ripped off. Too gory? Well maybe it helps to remember I am speaking metaphorically. I see that they are learning coping mechanisms for the positive or vice versa. I hope I can withstand the backlash when I have to teach them. I hated middle school myself, and life in general at that age, so I can sympathize, but I am at the same time a little intimidated. It's just two classes a day, for 12 weeks. I'll just keep reminding myself. Maybe I just have the newby jitters. I really want to like the little dearies. Stay tuned..... At least I'll have a few weeks to rest up for this. I think I'll start now. The mean one trying to be meaner.

Well I Never

So after my tirade about the movie The Ring ABC shows the film during prime time. That's just lovely. I must confess it began to fascinate me until I began to get the feeling they were showing it uncut. Then I changed the channel, I didn't want to have nightmares , and yes it will give you nightmares. I'm not that big a sissy.
The students at the high school were getting somewhat obnoxious today. Not my students, but the general population. One boy kicked over a trash can right in front of me and another teacher. The teacher went ballistic. Finally after some amount of intimidation a student picked up the can. He may not have been the one who kicked it over, but he was closest to it. He let on which student actually did it and the teacher threatened him in the vein of "Heaven help you if I get you in my class next year." I'm thinking "Heaven help you period." None of the teachers at this school is the slightest bit tolerant of jerks. I guess the last day or two of classes the students go ape, quite literally ape. They tear things up. So the teachers form patrol units and doorway security. I can never remember having Tear It Up last day. Not my kids either. We signed yearbooks talked amongst ourselves and with our teachers. We were just so happy to be out for summer, and that only lasted until the end of July, then we were bored. Maybe when I have a class room we'll just talk about our plans for the summer and what we liked or didn't like about the year. Maybe it will keep my people calm as they reminisce.
Not as mean as the students today, and out

Went for a Ride

Okay now I'm not what many people would consider a youngster. You'd have to be well over fifty to be able to consider me that way. Yesterday I went for a ride on the Harley (behind the hubby). Every time he hit a bump I thought my butt was going to fall off, not the bike, my body. I still love riding but the man needs to get me a sissy bar. I guess that makes me a sissy, confound it all, a mean sissy.
I am placed for my term in the middle school realm. It might sound crazy but I'm really looking forward to it. I guess that settles it, riding on a motorcycle and looking forward to a stint in the middle school, someone pass the meds. I've started reading The Adventures of Kavelier and Klay. I didn't know it had won a Pulitzer prize. I'm pretty wrapped up in the book after the first couple of chapters. Already I know it involves two young Jewish men during the Nazi occupation of Prague who love magic, especially that of one Harry Houdini. Do you see the irony here. Well the book looks challenging, but I'm excited.
So that's about it for now, I'm not sure whether to sit on an ice pack or a heating pad, mean one out.

Hey Bernie, it's good to hear from you

Okay I have finished The Great Gatsby now I feel as though I must investigate the book more fully. One of my cooperating teachers suggested I read what folks have written about it on the web. I did enjoy the book, even got to where I hated to put it down. It is a rather magnetic tome. I've started to read The Adventures of Kavalier and Klay. Thanks for the suggested reading Bernie I have added those books to my get list. I started discussing books with a particlarly shy young man who will barely say hello to me. All semester I would greet him when he came to class and he would just look at me so startled and duck away. Anyhow when I started talking books to him he just started chatting away with me, he even smiled and giggled with me. Books have some magic I'll tell you.
Two of my students asked me to sign their yearbooks and one invited me to graduation. I am so honored.
By the By Bernie, Chris and Pitts is on Euclid avenue in Anahiem down the block from Disney. We like to frequent Downtown Disney when we are in that part of town. They offer three hours of free parking (more if you go to a movie or restaurant). There are many shops, including a bookstore and nostalgia shop. There is a House of Blues. We just really enjoy the people, the music and the fireworks. Oh, and if you can refrain from shopping it's free. Hi ho Hi ho it's off to work I go.

Does anybody read these things?

Here I am again, I'm just cruising today. Went to the great OC over the weekend (note to self: Avoid all cheap hotel rooms) cruised the beach, went to a Harley store, the Market Place, and Downtown Disney. There were a gazillion people there. Downtown Disney has to be one of the best places on earth to people watch. They had live music via classical guitarists who were phenomenal. We ate at one of the best steak houses, a great secret known as Chris and Pitts. It is loud, gaudy, dark and the waitresses duck in and out like flying machines. I had a 16oz Delmonico steak with all of the fixin's and hubby had the fantail shrimp. We had appetizers and soft drinks and the bill was under $35. Can you believe it? And we didn't even have to wait for a seat! Out of this world.
The students are getting antsy for the summer break. I'm going to miss them so much. I hope I don't have separation anxiety every year for the rest of my career. I don't think the kids are going to miss me as much as I will them. I hope they remember me as a good thing they had for a while.
I have not read a thing. I am trying to get through The Great Gatsby. I have this stack of books to read, but there is this thing called a house that I have neglected all semester. So I have a little catching up to do before I can relax with a book. I have read Hatchet and a little follow up book that goes with it. The class is reading it so I read it to keep up. My Husband read Under and Alone about an undercover ATF guy who infiltrated the Mongol motorcycle gang. He loved it. Now Zach is reading it, read most of it in one night and dreamed about Harleys all night after.
Bought the new Dave Matthews CD, it's worth the price. I'm still pretty stuck on the group's earlier work.
Well it's too nice a day to be mean, so I'll just fade out mellow.