The Weekly Geography of My Life...

In the news:
Little Wayne sold 436,000 units on Tuesday. He pushed some major weight. He even brags about not writing his lyrics until he arrives at the studio. Hmmm… after listening to a couple of his songs, I don’t see why he is so quick to brag. He states:

Ima venereal disease like a menstrual bleed..
What is he talking about? This is an unapt analogy and kind of nasty.

Wayne also ponders, “what’s a goon to a goblin…” He’s calling himself a goblin- while I could think of many other things to call him, I do agree that he looks a little goblinish.

I am an admitted Kobe fan, but even I am getting tired of his antics, hysterics, and flat out arrogance. Statements such as, "I'm not changing my game whatsoever," and “what I’m doing wight now, I’m chasing perfection” are examples of this arrogance.

Mountain: The highlight of my week was summer pay day! With the regular academic term over, I was able to accept more courses at my second job, Westwood College. This, of course, meant more money. Seeing the money in the bank definitely served as the highlight of the week.

Valley: Spending fears… H&M just opened in Atlantic Station, I’ve just realized I need to upgrade my shoe game, and I have two vacations I want to take this summer, but due to constantly increasing bills (electric and gas keep going up) and the high price of gasoline, I am afraid to truly enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I’m watching: The Mole. Karen Perry, a co-worker, has me watching this reality show that seems to be going nowhere, fast. With challenges like the contestants losing a soccer match to pee-wees (5-10 year old kids), I can see why the program was previously cancelled.

I’m reading: The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison. I came across this controversial short novel while reading the New York Times Book Review on Sunday morning. I was immediately struck by the subject matter. A girl, age 20, willingly begins a sexual relationship with her father. The novel is beautifully sad and knowingly tragic. Don’t be mistaken. It’s difficult to read but not at all as perverse as the incestuous subject.

I’m listening to: Usher’s Here I Stand. As some may know, I am a dedicated Usher fan. My support of Usher’s artistry started when I was 14 and he released his first self-titled album. I own every CD, concert DVD, and have downloaded most of his live television performances. His most recent album is good. It is his most solid collection of music and represents his best album. He has had some better songs, but Here I Stand is his best album to date.

Obama and Ted Strickland go together like a horse and carriage...

The Vice Presidency “isn’t worth a pitcher of warm piss!” –John Nance Garner

Now that Barack Obama has secured the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, major discussion is going into who would be the best nominee for Vice President.
Until the later 20th century, the Vice President has, traditionally, not severed a major role in the course of American politics. Several Vice Presidents (John Adams, Aaron Burr) lamented being given the position. One former Vice President (Franklin Pierce’s Vice President, William King) actually died before being sworn in and was rumored to not have been missed for several weeks after his unfortunately demise.

Some Vice Presidents have gone on to run for President, but this is a 20th Century trend (Truman in 1948, Nixon in 1960, Johnson in 1964, Nixon and Humphrey in 1968, Ford in 1976, Mondale in 1984, H.W. Bush in 1988, and Gore in 2000) and the trend may now be over (Clearly, Cheney’s time is over. He’s a heart beat away...)
When thinking of Vice Presidents, Dan Quayle comes to mind. Before being named as H.W’s right hand man, Quayle was a senator from Indiana. Infamous for his intellectual prowess (or lack thereof), Quayle made such claims as “We don't want to go back to tomorrow, we want to go forward," and "The future will be better tomorrow," and "I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix,” and my all time favorite statement, "It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."

As Obama looks for his Vice President, he should consider the candidate’s home state and the balance the candidate will provide on issues that matter to the American people. Lacking military service and experience may serve as a hindrance to Obama. Being seen as too inexperienced for the office could also hurt Obama’s chances. Obama needs a VP who’s experienced and knowledgeable, but who can also relate to the needs and concerns of the American people. Kerry did an excellent job of selected John Edwards, who balanced his awkwardness and lack of charisma. Hopefully, Obama will find a VP candidate who provides a similar balance.

The Washington insider state that Obama may be on the right track. Former candidate Wesley Clark, a retired Army general and former NATO commander is rumored to be on Obama’s short list. While Clark supported Clinton, he could provide the name recognition needed to get some of the Hillary fans on Obama’s side.

Another military possibility is Jim Webb, a first-term Virginia senator who served in Vietnam and was the secretary of the Navy. Webb would also assist Obama in a major battleground state, which probably matters more than military experience.

Having witnessed the 2000 and 2004 elections come down to a few delegates, battleground states will be just as crucial as ever in the 2008 campaign. With that said, Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Ted Strickland come to mind.

Richardson also ran for the democratic nomination, but had the common sense to get our early. A governor, Richardson could help Obama secure the fastest-growing segment of the electorate and a potentially vital voting bloc with Latino voters. A seasoned negotiator, the former energy secretary, congressman and U.N. ambassador would also bring foreign policy experience to the ticket as well as inside knowledge of how Washington works.

Finally, my personal choice is Ohio governor, Ted Strickland. An influential democrat with moderate views and conservative tendencies, Strickland has done an admirable job of working across party lines to move Ohio forward. With Ohio being a key battleground state, Obama may need Strickland to truly close the deal.

Georgia's low test results indicate that we are headed in the right direction...

Results of Georgia’s most recent admission of the CRCT has recently garnered major attention from both parents and the press. With 40% of students possibly denied promotion, the validity of these tests and the new Georgia Performance Standards are currently in question. As a veteran educator, I feel as though clarification may be needed.

The mandate of our state's public school system is that we will lead the nation in school improvement. The Georgia Performance Standards and the increased rigor of state mandated standardized tests are a step in that direction.

The process of making education in Georgia both rigorous and relevant is painstaking to say the least. The flawed thinking that what has been done in the past will work in the future seems to be dominate in too many homes and too many news articles.

To lead the nation in school improvement does not necessarily mean that every student will pass state tests or that every parent will be happy with test results. Summer school is a small price to pay for remediation. The goal of education is learning, not promotion or a score that will please parents and press.

The rigorous math standards and relevant CRCT assessments promote the critical thinking skills essential for higher SAT results and true college preparedness that too many Georgia students lack and desperately need. Without highlighting the areas for student growth and holding students, as well as teachers and school systems accountable, Georgia will remain at the bottom of the nation in regards to standardized test scores. Georgia will remain one step behind the rest of our nation.

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.

Grief Daybook II by Carol Ann Davis (A Memory Poem for You)

There are panels of sky

as good as forgotten,

Evans' gelatin folds of Florida

circa 1934. The line of sky is dark at first

where the gulf lifts it,

then comes to me like a halo

around the palm tree with its neck bent,

its spray of branches leaning out of frame

as if to flee. Its roots pull

at sand, as if to say,

this is what it takes.

I'd believe, if not for the way

my breath catches,

if not for the wild faint

sleep's become. The palm's branches

are spears left

where they've fallen

in the dirty sand, too heavy

for the tide to take them. Where the neck bends,

cut branches—like stubble on a chin

as seen from below—seem to ask

something of the photographer,

something not washed away

in the chemical bath. The shadow of the trunk

just underlines—means to prove the existence

of the world. It's three o'clock

and the latticework of 1934
is pulling around me in this light

as if to say my god, my god,

a hymn sung by infidels to believers

as a way to ask for water.

Carol Ann Davis