I Thought I Was Bad

I'm pretty sure I posted the background info before. Summer's campaign is over and I offered my services to a few other candidates who didn't have primaries to deal with. Two of them, I'll probably make some phone calls, maybe do a mailing or something...stuff I can do in my sleep.

But there's this other one...Her signs have been out for a while. I'm fine with where she stands on the issues, but there's something about her that seems to rub people the wrong way. Not necessarily the "masses" but politicos. I can't quite put my finger on it. But I will give a really good example:

Weeks ago - before the primary - she was telling me how she hadn't found a campaign manager until just recently, but the person wasn't experienced. She wondered if I would meet with her just to "compare notes". Sure. No problem. Well, from that time to the next time we talked (10 days, maybe) she had a different person, but she still wanted me to meet with her. OK...this time I got a phone number. I called and we set a (relatively) inconvenient time to meet. The day before, the person called and canceled. OK. Then, I bump into the candidate at the "loser party" on primary night. Now she has a "committee" of 2 people and the 4 of us should meet. OK, we set a date for Saturday (which is tomorrow for when I'm typing this). Tonight she called me and told me that they didn't work out so she's going to go the rest of the way on her own, but would like to meet. So I'm going to meet her in the morning.

But it's really funny. If she can't work with that many people, how is she going to work with the other County Council members? Again, I'm pretty sure it's her first time running for anything, so maybe she'll learn. And I'll have another story about her on the next podcast.

Oh...and I forgot to mention...she's a child psychologist who specializes in play therapy...and she is so unlaid back...I can see her admonishing a kid for not playing right. I've slipped a number of mini-jokes within our conversations and she usually doesn't get any of them. Oy.


Other Stuff: I'm on "vacation" the next 2 weeks. I still have to work at the Y and I don't have any money, but the sleep will do me good. Don't tell all the kiddies, but I have a new CD I'm planning to send the little folk. I'll be sending it out next week. No "yo mama" jokes this time...I promise. The anti-global warming family struck again. In an e-mail to my direct supervisor, the grandfather was bitching about a number of things. In the sentence directed at me he asked if I was through with my political stuff so I could finish my grading. Uh...hey, Rush...I'm the only teacher caught up with my grading. YOUR granddaughter hasn't turned in a damn thing all year. Asshat...

I really don't like the direction the school is going in. No organization, flying by seats of our pants on a daily basis. We're really not going into depth on any subject matter. We're dealing with kids' behavior in a very traditional-yet-laisse faire manner. Having said that...yesterday, a huge number of the new kids couldn't tell me after 9 weeks what subject I taught. They all love my classes, but had no idea it was social studies. THAT, is the highest compliment. I've done Hawaiian history/culture, human rights, current events, elephant poaching in Africa and more and they had no freakin clue. Awesome.

The kids had off today, but we had a work day. I used the occasion to get some "permission". The same thing happened last year. I get mixed messages about standards vs uh...real teaching. So I basically got permission to teach whatever the hell I want. Heh, heh. Heads are gonna spin. I'm on an island. I have a shit-load of technology, 74 middle schoolers, 2 huge vans, a corrupt local government and a cable access CEO who owes me so long and hard that he won't know what to do when I call him on it. I'm on a mission from God.

Message to GLB: Good conversation today! I'm waiting for the PowerPoint...it sounded cool. As for my stuff...I'm still going through with applying, but just from thinking about it...I'm leaning toward the hometown angle. I looked online...I can deal with the old hood. But there's plenty of time. Stretch out the achilles...I'll have a hoop!

What's in Store?

Well, some time's gone by (days, anyway) and I'm relatively over the election. I'm trying to focus on a couple of things...the job I have and the job I'm going to need. The weird thing is, the ideas that pop up for me in terms of the jobs I'm going to need are not things I can fall into the minute I get back to the mainland.

Which means I'm going to need a "get-by" gig...the easy fix is Hillside...I can probably always have a job there, but I know I sure don't want to do any more cottage work. I'm done with restraints - and even though the agency is going towards being hands off, but they keep bringing in more aggressive kids. I could easily be a teacher's assistant in their school, but I remember the last time I was there. There was an all-out riot. And the agency is insisting on at least 3 people to a hold? I don't think so.

As for the long-term things, my brain is going back and forth between 2 options. I'd rather not go into details because I'm still trying to flesh both of them out and who knows...I could just end up seeing if they need someone to cook hot dogs at Nick's.

Truth is...the minimum I'd like to do right now, is get back home, find a job so that I can start seeing my therapist again and work my shit out.

Stupid School Without Walls...

So the day started off, pretty much as a continuation of yesterday. I ended up in an argument with a couple of crazies at the Y...I was relatively calm until one of them called me a "fucking hou'lie" (I still haven't learned to spell that word). I have more respect for this place than most of the Hawaiians I've met, plus the fact that I was in a bad mood. I didn't do anything that would've gotten me fired, but it will be interesting to see what happens next week when those fuckers show up at 10am to reserve a bike for the next day's spin class.

Anyway...work was boring. I planned on working out after, but I just wasn't into it, so I went back to Kihei, grabbed something to eat and went to school to check on a few things. Waiting for me were e-mails from parents who are freaking because their kids have to work in school for the first time in their lives - and their...grades...show it. So I dealt with that, watched some Daily Show & Colbert online and went home to upload the podcast Jill & I recorded last night. It was a good show. Then I downloaded the new Mitch Hedberg album...it's pretty funny. I'll play a cut off it on the podcast next week. Probably "Phil" for Mike & Erick. And right now...I'm about to start a book. And get this...it's fiction. And not like historical fiction. An actual story.

I feel like doody right now, but I'm going to figure a way out of this.

The Song Remains the Same

Stupid politics.

Yeah...we lost. By 500 votes. I went to the cable access party thing...everyone was impressed with the job we did, first time candidate, blah, blah, blah. I hate it when The Man wins. My line is that we made some mistakes but nothing that cost us votes...but god damn it...we could've gotten those votes. There was a 20% turnout. Did I mention that Maui county has the worst voter turnout in the country...there has to be one county in last and we're it.

We shouldn't have lost this. There's no f-ing way. I'm sorry to put y'all through this, but I need to get this over with.

*the campaign lit that I was saddled with for the campaign was horrible. The people who designed it are supposed to be experienced.

*I couldn't get the parents to pick it up a notch. Seriously...if they could have done just a little of what I asked, I think we could've gotten 500 more votes.

*There was this group of people at the end who discovered that they liked going door-to-door and took care of the town of Kula for us. They wanted more, so I told them to see what parts of Makawao Summer had - she was supposed to do Makawao and I was doing Pukalani. She had at least 5 pieces of the district that wasn't done. I don't think she did as much door-to-door as she said...I don't know this for a fact, but...

*The radio ad she made SUCKED. She did it without me. I said she should come to my place and we'll do it here. I do radio...I do podcasts...I know how to do audio. One of her poser local friends who talked all this shit, but wouldn't get off his ass and lift a finger for the campaign did the spot with Summer and it sounded like a pidgeon high school production. Our weakness was that she was young and that ad made her sound young and unprofessional.

*Summer also went on her own and changed some of the stations that the ads were to play on, I had it set...she went for the younger demographic...who on Maui don't vote!

*All these people busted their asses for the $100 a person fundraiser, but hardly shit was done for the "working-class" meet & greet. And that's why nobody showed for it. Honestly...there's some real snobbery around Summer...particularly with the women-folk.

*The secret weapon...the potholders, were supposed to have gone out almost 2 weeks earlier than they did. Why didn't they? Because Summer kept asking the designer to tweak things with the lit that went with it...I mean piddly stuff. So the printing was delayed. Then the special envelopes for the mailing turned out to be 1/4 an inch too small when we went with the same ones another campaign used (connected to campaign guru guy).

This isn't a blame thing. Every campaign has stuff like this...or their own version of it. But I was supposed to be the one to get people through this and I didn't do the job. It's really that simple. That's what the campaign manager does and I didn't.

Other quick observations...this guy who runs the cable access station. He took up a lot my time bitching about Kyle Yamashita. Telling me about how sleezy this guy is, how he tried to get the station shut down, blah, blah, blah. So I called him on it. I told him that here's his chance to help get rid of Kyle. He didn't do shit. And he knows it. He avoided me all night at the party tonight...and he should have.

There was another candidate who lost to an in-the-pocket-of-big-money incumbent tonight. Tasha Kama. In a poll done by some unions last week, Tasha was ahead of the incumbent and Summer was even with Kyle. Then the election happens and both lose to the two biggest corporate puppets. At the beginning of the campaign there were some people who were complaining about the new voting machines, that they could be easily hacked, etc. Just like in Ohio in 2004. But nothing was done. I hear how dirty politics are here...I'm wondering if Tasha & Summer had their elections stolen. I have no way of proving it, but to be honest, it just doesn't add up. We've had such overwhelming response from people we talked to...Kyle didn't do shit, but give out some recycled bags and give the Isaac to people from the road. Same with Tasha. And unless the poll done was completely unreliable, the margin of error couldn't have been this big.

Well, a couple of other people I know are running in the general election for County Council. I offered to give them a hand during school break. Hopefully, I won't be the kiss of death for them.

Stupid politics.

Is it the end, or is it just beginning?

So as I type this, the polls are about 30 minutes from closing. In the last 24 hours I've made, literally, around 400 phone calls. A couple of people whom we've sent phone numbers to have called and said they've had tremendous success with their calls. And I have to admit, there were a lot of calls I had to people who had either already voted for Summer or were about to. People got their potholders and except for this one couple who I know from the Y and who live in the district, everyone really dug them. There were the usual crazies...you can't make 1300+ phone calls and not get them, but seriously, there was a seriously good vibe coming from the quality and quantity of results.

I found out that the Unions did a poll last week. Summer & Kyle were just about even. Since then, people have gotten the potholder and a hand-addressed letter. A little later than we wanted, but hey...what happened, happened.

So over the past 2 days, I've gone back and forth about if I'm going to continue with the campaign - assuming we win tonight. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay with it. To be honest, it's mostly for myself now. I want to be able to say that I won this thing. We both know one person doesn't win a campaign, but you know what I mean. I've been involved in campaigns with candidates who should have won and now I can do one that should have and does win can be in the same sentence.

My plan is to - again, assuming we win tonight - meet with Summer on Tuesday. Plan out a strategy for what needs to be done and just divide up the duties. And do be honest, I'm not going to volunteer to do much. She wants to have control over it all so I'm going to let her have it. It's not worth getting pissed off about. And besides, the general election is going to be way easier than the primary. You have to really fuck up to lose a general if you're a Democrat here.

Probably more ads, which Summer can do. The next Kula Forum...Summer. An Op-ed...Summer. New mailing...Summer. Then phone calls...me.

Then there's the signwaving thing. I have to give credit where it's due. The Republican kid has had to wait for the winner of this. And his "signwaving" has been to be by the side of the highway with (gas guzzling) pick-up trucks with his name all over it. But he's had 5 or 6 people in t-shirts picking up garbage instead of waving. Not bad, actually. If we do it, we're following him. So we're basically left to do the "traditional" signwave or nothing. Touche'.

Yesterday, I finally got "Yamashita-ed" I was driving upcountry and there was Kyle by the side of the road. He's a sign waving FREAK! He's like the Rainman of signwaving. He pointed right at me and made eye-contact...I felt like Frodo and he was Sauron. (sorry for the geeky LTR's reference)

Well, that's about it for the campaign update. If I stay up until 1 or so, I may be able to see the results...even then, maybe. I can go to a "party" at the local cable access station at 9pm...eh...haven't decided. It won't be a party I can have fun at so...

I'm just glad this part is freakin over.

Trying to Get to Sleep

I'm home now. It's way past my bedtime, but I'm overtired and I've had too much caffine, too late so I'm just trying to bore myself into getting sleepy. I haven't blogged much lately because it's just been school and the campaign. School is pretty much a free-for-all right now. There are people who are pretty under-qualified doing jobs they shouldn't be and it's not a great way to run any organization. It's sad when I'm the voice of reason. But in spite of that there is some educatin' happening, though we're doing more breadth than depth right now. In spite of what is said, number grades are the order of the day. Blah, blah, blah.

Campaign? Well, to the outside looking in, we're doing well. Calm, cool and collected. We have radio ads that started yesterday and print ads hitting today through Saturday. But it's been unorganized and chaotic. Summer asks me to handle things and when it's not the way she would do it, she goes around me to the person we're dealing with. Part of it is inexperience, part of it is being on Maui...it pretty much is, if you want to get something done you have to do it yourself. She's going to need to get over that if she makes it to Oahu or else she won't have people who will work for her.

The incumbent is doing what he has to do...telling half-truths to distort his record, while we're not really hitting back. If we lose Saturday, that will be the reason why. My Get Out the Vote plan is down to trying to find people to do phone calls on Friday & Saturday (I'll end up doing most of the hundreds of calls) and sign waving - which was last on my list of priorities, but that's probably what Summer and her family will do...all day, probably.

I know it's cliche' but it's funny how the more things change the more they stay the same.

Oh, I meant to post this last week, but didn't get around to it...so when I was at the Filipino Candidates Forum, I went to the bathroom. That's not the significant part. While I was there, they had these signs telling people to a) make sure you flush and b) please don't throw garbage down the toilet. Here is the graphic they used:



Who the hell is throwing ipods, computer mice and boxes of taffy in their toilets??? I do not understand the Filipino people.

Apple & Tree

An actual quote from a parent's e-mail to me:

I do not understand what Jamie's grade is in your class. Can you please explain what 33 means? Is she failing your class?

I think we may have an answer to your question...

(The name has been changed to protect the teacher)

Updates

So last night I talked to my Dad, who sent me a CD of pictures from the vacation where the whole family - except me - flew into Rochester. I hadn't had a chance to see the CD yet and when I told him, I was appropriately admonished. When I watched it, it just made me want to get out of here all the more. So what's a grown man to do?

Call his Mommy, of course. Well, THAT sure didn't help - though what is she going to say, "No, I don't think you should come home"? So again - I'll just keep my head down and get through what I gotta get through here.

I've got a little something percolating in my head...we'll see where it goes.

What? You want to hear more about the campaign? Gosh, I thought you'd all be sick of it by now, but OK...if you want more:

Tonight was the Filipino Candidate Forum. Quick thoughts...the Dem incumbent didn't show and the moderator told the group that he "chose not to come". Ooooh, that's gotta hurt...the Republican challenger was there (who Summer will have to run against when she wins the primary). It was my first time seeing him speak. He's an idiot. Seriously, he's even an idiot for a Republican (no offense). If he were to win, which he won't, I would be afraid for him. He'd get eaten alive in Oahu...it was the Filipino Candidate Forum, so for the first 7 candidates or so, each one tried to kiss more Filipino ass than the rest. It started out like, "My gardner's a filipino." to "When I had this thing removed from my face, the only people I could remember in the hospital were my doctor and the two Filipino nurses." [One of those was actually said]

It really reminded me of that old Python sketch. Enjoy:


Let's see...Summer did OK tonight. They had so many candidates that the forum wasn't conducive to saying anything substantial, other than Filipinos' shit doesn't stink...I got to flapjack with Summer's best friend. She's an easy flapjackee. Oh, if you don't remember the term, go here. A couple of county council candidates came up to me tonight to ask for some help. One of them was having trouble with the county's voter database, which is a f-ing joke, and another just got a campaign manager (!) and wanted to know if the mgr could meet with me. It was flattering and yeah, I'll help...but considering, I don't know what I can do.

Other campaign news: a little birdie told us that every election, rich business folk do "independent" polling to see where the incumbents are, because they're already in Da Man's pocket. While I didn't get any specifics, I was told that we're only "a few points" behind Kyle. I have no idea what the questions were for the poll and I don't know what target list they used, so even if it was super stacked against us, it was great news. The secret weapon - potholders - go out this weekend. And, that's about it for now.

OK, I'm going to go work on voter reg lists for Kai then off to bed. Ciao!

Dunes Video

OK...so you saw the Kids Gone Wild picture. Here's the video:

To All My Republican Friends...

I'm totally serious here...most of the folks who are on this blog are not republicans, but you know some. Share this with them...the whole thing. And then ask them if they're going to remain part of their "party". And if they say, yep...then ask them why. I can't see why their responses would be any more coherent than the idiots interviewed here.



Now, The Daily Show has skewered Democrats as well, but for their incompetence and spinelessness. I'm hoping that - assuming - once Obama is in office, they'll go after them as well.

And your republican friends? Well, they don't have to be dems...they can just be independents...or should I say "independents".

Oh, Thank God...

There's pictures...


(click on the picture to see the amazing detail)

This is NOT going in my teaching portfolio.

Not a Resume' Day

Before I start, I thought I'd comment on the comments from last post. Where the campaign's concerned, Summer didn't really know what it takes to win a campaign. I think she still would have run, but...

She is doing better at the stuff she doesn't like to do and as she becomes more used to it, she won't give it a second thought. Now the other lazy bastards on this island, I can't speak for them.

But good, yet bizarre, news. It seems that the Republican, who isn't even opposed in the primary, has an attack ad out against Summer. I haven't heard it yet, but think about it. He's trying to make sure the incumbent wins. So whomever is advising him sees Summer as the front-runner. I also found out that the Democratic opponent, whom we go against on the 20th has basically co-opted Summer's platform on his lit. I'm going to see it on Thursday. Oh...and the Republican has basically copied Summer's website format - complete with header. Although it says absolutely nothing.

They're both going after Summer because it seems that she's the one to beat. So let's see if I can not screw this thing up.

*****************************************************

OK... I don't know what the deal is, but we're already into the 6th week of school and I don't seem to be "firing on all cylinders." Now today was just bad luck, it wasn't anything I did, but it's just the way things are going.

Today, I took a group of kids to a local beach, where, along with other volunteers, we planted native plants to restore a coastal sand dune. Cool, right? Here's a few pictures:




The kids know that on days they're scheduled to go in the field, they're supposed to bring water bottles. Just about no one did. And it was freakin hot. So by the end, everyone's complaining that they want water. Well, across the street is Fred's, a Mexican restaurant, which apparently sells breakfast. So the other teacher and a kid went over to see if we could bum some water off of them. They came back with pitchers and plastic cups...plastic cups emblazened with the Budwiser and Bud Light logos. Not my proudest teaching moment. But after everyone was making jokes about it, one of the volunteers who also had a camera had all the kids hold up their cups as if it was a really creepy Girls Gone Wild shoot...ok...without the boobies, but you get my drift. It wasn't cool. So somewhere is a picture that looks like I'm throwing a kegger with 25 middle schoolers.

Oy.

Campaign Update

I guess I'll just go in chronological order.

Everything's cool...just a few little goofy things:

*Yesterday I went up to Olinda to meet with Summer's parents. I gave them the 411 on what we need to do the day before and of the Primary election. I had this elaborate plan laid out, with all these procedures and roles for people to play. And they looked at me as if I had 3 heads...again. I was basically met with the following response:

"Dave, in your experience, have you ever seen it when a candidate's friends refuse to help?"

Which basically was their way of telling me that there's no way in hell we can do what I want to. More on that later.

During this meeting, they also inundated me with so many questions about stuff, wanting information about things they had no involvement with, on the inside, I started to get a bit defensive. I don't know if I blogged on this, but Summer hit me with this thing where I'm supposed to run drafts of my weekly e-mail to our list through her mother first. Whatever.

I also found out that while we are working on real campaign stuff, the family is pretty much focusing on sign waving by the side of the road. While I've told them a million times that we need to be knocking on doors, only Summer does it and that's reluctantly...and with a laxative, I'm assuming. So, I'm doing a lot of door-to-dooring (d2d).

*Then I found out that I had the time wrong for an event set up this Thursday...I'm pretty sure I copied & pasted it from an e-mail from Summer, but whatever. So I was up until 2am re-doing flyers - some of which had already gone out.

*So today I did more d2d. Initially it rained off and on. That was fun. Then it just got windy. That was fun too, because your campaign literature doesn't stay where you want it to when the person's not home. Today was also the first day I was worried about dogs. Even one big dog, I'm OK with, but at this one house there were two. They were big, they were not on leashes and they were coming at me. I did all the appropriate things to chill them out short of mace and they didn't keep coming, but my clipboard wasn't going to do shit in this one.

On another note, there was this house where this little foo-foo dog wanted a piece of me. Normally I kind of laugh because I know that if the dog ever got free, it wasn't going to do anything. But this dog was pissed...apparently at me. If it could've gotten free, my ankle was toast. I actually was about to take a picture of it, but the owner came to the door and I had to put the phone away. Not a way to get a vote.

*I wrapped up the Deaf vote for Summer today. That would be because I met the only Deaf person on the whole island. We actually scared the shit out of each other. She surprised me because she was Deaf, then I surprised her because I signed.

*Another woman told me that she's voting for Summer, loves her, but at the Kula Forum, it was bad form to confront Kyle about his campaign donations. You don't do that here. Then she proceeded to contradict herself that she thought that everyone needed to know this stuff and she was glad it was out. She's coming to the meet-n-greet on Thursday to tell Summer. Oh thank god...the campaign is saved. I've already warned Summer.

*A strange, strange thing, that even Summer didn't have a good explanation for. OK...Summer is running in a Primary. When she wins that, she has to run against a Republican. I've seen lawns where there are lawn signs for both the Democratic primary opponent and the Republican opponent. I...uh...wha?

*So after thinking about it...I've scaled down are Get Out The Vote effort to finding 12 people who would be willing to phone bank. I'll be stunned if we have 5 (Me, Summer, one of her parents and two others). I know as you get to the end of campaigns, nerves get frazzled. But Dude, I'm so over this. I just want it to end.