The Weekly Geography of my Life

What a hectic week! As the school year comes to its irrevocable end, every day seems to fly by. Graduation the Class of 2008 is right around the corner and so are End of Course Test and dreaded AP exams. While I am confident that I have done a solid job teaching curriculum in each of my classes (with a few life lessons sprinkled along the way, I am still not confident that every learner will score high on the aforementioned high-stakes test. Oh well. There is always next year.

The Mountain: Luckily, the end of spring break coinciding with the wedding of one of my closest high school classmates. Getting to see Matthew and Kylea get hitched, attending the bachelor party (good job, Anzari), and seeing dear, old friends from high school (miss you Marcus; love you, Tot and Vonne) was a great experience. Also, I was able to go back to my alma matter (Go MSU, Go State!) and have dinner with two of my best former students (Allison, I am so proud of you and your courage! Bahhiyah, stay focused!). These two events definitely rank high on my list of things that made this week great.

The Valley: Whenever a vacation from work ends, my body and sleep schedule gets all out of whack. I have not been getting the sleep I need and consequently, I have been tired and grumpy. Blah.

I am reading: Only the best book of the damn year!!!! The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is fucking amazing! And I know teachers are not supposed to swear, but damn, this I my blog and damn, this book is WONDROUS! Buy it and let me know what you think.

I have been watching: America’s Next Top Model and it sucks. This is an awful “cycle.”

I am listening to: e=mc2. Aren’t you? Mariah Carey will surely top the Beatles #1 record with this great album. She’s back and better with age (even if she is a slore.)

Barack is more bitter than small town Pennsylvania voters...

It seems as if Barack Obama has not only fangled some words, but has also fangled his chances of getting the majority of electoral votes in Pennsylvania. To make a long comment short, Obama said Pennsylvania's small town voters were bitter about losing jobs and that to explain their frustrations, they "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." For a more in on the story, consult http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080415.htm .

The comments were ignorant and insensitive and indefensible. I don’t think many people are willing to call out the white elephant in Obama’s room. The comments were direct attacks against working class, white people in Pennsylvania who are not receptive to Obama’s message. Some of these people may be unreceptive due to Obama’s race, but that is their right. No one has to vote for someone because they are the best man or woman for a specific task. We elected George W. Bush not once, but twice and he is not good for anything of which I can think.

Race should not be an issue in this or any election, but that fact that it is an issue is a constant and ever present reality. As a black man, Obama should not consider himself immune from the racial thinking of others, but as a candidate for public office, he should strive to make himself immune from thinking racially himself.

Obama has repeatedly attempted to undo the damage done by his poor wording, and I am sure many Americans are willing to forgive his ill-thought comments. After all, people forgave Michael Richards for his Laugh Factory breakdown and Mel Gibson for his anti-Semitic slurs at a stop-light.

As a result of Obama’s comments, Hillary Clinton has a fresh round of ammunition at her disposal as she attempts to slowly tear down the solid democratic nomination Obama has built in the past three months. It was shrewd and clever politics for Clinton, who has finally realized that in order to win an election, you have to be able to relate to the common man. Showing empathy for the struggling economy and using anecdotes from her childhood, Clinton makes it appear as though she understands what the average Pennsylvanian is going through. Obama attempted to fight back, asking, repeatedly, who Clinton thought she was, Annie Oakley- seems as if Annie had her gun and hit her target where it hurts.

Catching Up with Me...

Where are you going?

Where do you go?

Are you looking for answers

For reasons under the stars?
-Lyrics from “Where are you going?” By Dave Matthews


A needed rest has come. I have no idea how to categorize this break from work. I realize now that I have no idea how to categorize this break from writing. I don’t know if most people feel the need to be so far away from things, but I have felt the need to detach. Disconnectedness is dangerous. I have always known this and fought the impulse, but lately, I find myself too tired to fight it.

This break from work has provided an opportunity to read and catch up on news. I read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and then watched the film. I also watched Atonement. Neither film was as good as the novels upon which they were based.

This week I have also been catching up on my health concerns. I have hit the track and the gym hard, and god only knows how much I needed to work out. My body is a wreck. I feel like I am wrapped in pounds and pounds of excess fat. Being at home has provided me with a chance to eat healthier and to eat less.