Bombs Away!!!

Well, I told the kids at school today that I was leaving. It actually kinda fell into place. I wasn't supposed to be teaching at all today, today was going to be grading / catch-up day, but another teacher who was supposed to teach called in sick so I had to scramble for something to do. Part of my "lesson" was explaining to the kids that I was leaving. I actually ended up turning it into a half-hour, one-man-show. Three performances only.

So the kids got me to agree to start a blog to keep them up-to-date. So I'll probably be abandoning this one and starting a new one in a month...but I haven't decided the fate of Dave In Maui for sure yet. Either way, you'll still be able to get your Dave fix at the new one, it'll just be for a younger audience. That's right, no more dick jokes. Oh...I wasn't doing them before? I better get cracking then.

The one girl (who tried to set me up with her Grandmother) was actually pissed that I'm leaving. But by the end of the day I had her down to just annoyed. It's a start. I still have 3 weeks to get it to peeved.

I'm pretty sure as we get closer, it's going to get more uncomfortable, for me anyway, but it'll be pretty sappy and I'll try not to cry. Though I can just blame it on the vog.

As for my last 3 weeks of school...well, it looks like things aren't going to change much. I have the responsibility of planning next week's field outing - which I have - but it's already getting messed up. Semester report cards are due...I guess the last day of school, but no one's actually seen the report cards yet and they're supposed to be more like School Without Walls progress reports. I was actually pushing for that, but I guess I forgot to tell them that for teachers to give more anecdotal evidence of student learning you actually have to spend a significant amount of time with the students. And right now, none of the teachers do...or at least I don't. So I'll probably be doing progress reports on the plane, at the airport and in Rochester. I didn't tell the kids that this kinda stuff is the main reason I'm leaving.

I guess that's the deal for now. Hey! Where's MY transition team?

Gratuitous Semi-Nudity

{sigh} Even with loads of evidence, many times I still tend to think that I have more control over things than really do. (Relax man, I'm getting to the GSN) Like that one time I ran for school board...That dumbass, Domingo Garcia only had, like 90% more of the vote than me. I know if the State Greens weren't such shitheads...oooh....I'll blame it on Nader, HE was on the ballot that year, too.

OK...so back to Summer. We were close enough to the win that I know that if I just could have figured out a way to make her become more political, quicker, we could have won. Not dishonest, just more political savy...by that I mean, willing to go door-to-door more, stop being so persnickity over the lit, etc.

(I said, I'm getting to it.)

Me being me, I have doubts...where did I screw up, blah, blah, blah. And I'm in serious, never-doing-this-again mode. I don't think I'm going to be getting involved in anything once I get back. (You can stop laughing now)

So are you on the Facebook? It's blowing up with all the kids. Well, I'm now on Facebook as some of you know. Stuart's been on the Facebook for quite a while. Well, Summer's also on the Facebook. And when you're friends with someone on the Facebook, you basically give them permission to stalk you - even if you don't want them to. The only way you can get them to not Facestalk you is to unfriend them. I want that to be clear, so that those of you not familiar with the Facebook understand what's happening here.

This morning I was treated to this:


Uh...OK...I guess I'd vote for her...but for what, Miss Socket Wrench 2009? I guess maybe she may need to mature a little...ahem...politically, I mean. I know it's not my responsibility any more, but I feel I should say something to her...like:

"Hey, nice cans..." no, that's not it...uh, like "Are you related to Louise Slaughter?" Jeez, come on Dave, focus! OK, one more time. How about, "You're 25 years old and you want people to take you seriously. Those are pictures for paparazzi, not stuff you post on the internet of yourself." That's closer.

3 more weeks.

I'm Not Back Yet!

Checking my e-mail today...I get something from RG&E. Yep...Rochester Gas & Electric.

When I was in Rochester, I paid my RG&E bill online...but since I left I had not heard from them...until today.

When I saw the e-mail and the subject (New RG&E Document), I'm thinking...Oh crap...I STILL owe them something??!??

Then I open the e-mail:

A new bill invoice for account number 20014845919 is due 12/19/2008 for the bill amount of $ -1.45.
Click here to view and pay your RG&E bill


Uh...seriously? If I click, you're going to give me $1.45? And will I have a bigger penis, make money from foreclosed homes and get $2,000,000 from the Department of Ball Bearings in Nigeria???

Brain...confused....

Another Timetable Shot to Hell

On December 3rd there's going to be a school / parent meeting. Our communication or lack thereof has gotten so out of hand that they're having a meeting to clear a bunch of stuff up. The funny thing about all of this is:

*There's acknoledgement that there's a problem, but still no acceptance of responsibility or plan for serious change. In fact, the school...or should I say, it's leaders have pretty much painted themselves into a corner by relying on such lousy technology that they couldn't afford to change it even if they could.

*The solutions all the teachers are talking about to "get control" of the school again are very traditional. Punishments and rewards, grade everything, reduce the field outings, etc. It'll calm the parents down, but it's not going to change squat. Everything they're going to be doing is based on external motivation.

*The new schedule they're going to employ and explain to the parents on Wednesday doesn't have me in it. Also, in the spirit of communication, they're going to need to explain that a new Teacher's Assistant and Clerk are going to be on board. So we're going to moving up the timetable on the announcement of my leaving by a couple of weeks.

It's not going to be a total disaster, I'm just going to have to answer the same questions over and over and there will be more passive-aggressiveness by the kids who don't want me to leave. But it won't be too bad...I hope.

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

A couple of weeks ago, I told one of the kids how much she reminded me of Suzie...Suzee...Suzey...uh...Suzi...whatever. Susan Gibney. Oh, there's those out there who don't know who that is. Suz...uh...damn...Susan is the sister-in-law of my Cousin Jill, who can read this blog, but doesn't. Susan is an actress. You may have seen her on one of the Star Treks, I get 'em all confused, Crossing Jordan and many others....

Here's her IMDB page.

Anyway, I have this 6th grader who so reminds me of a little Susan. Actually, I didn't realize it for months...it just hit me a couple of weeks ago. So I told the kid about it and told her I'd e-mail Susan to tell her. So every other day I would get, "Did Susan e-mail you back yet?" No...not yet. So she asked me again today and we had a few minutes, so I grabbed my cell phone and called her. After I talked for a while I let Lily talk to her. It was the cutest thing ever.

I think that's about all for now...most of you are probably reading this on T-Giving. Have a great holiday. I'm working most of the days, but have Friday completely off. If the roosters, babies and dog upstairs will let me, I'm going to sleep in, maybe make it up to the Labrynth and chill out before I go see Kanekoa with Jill. Then, it's back to work on Saturday. While I may be an unemployed bum, that first week I get back will be my first real vacation in a long, long time.

Jeez...I sent my resume to another place yesterday and I can't even remember what it was for. I gotta start keeping track of this stuff.

Yeowch!

So I've had this little e-mail conversation with the "campaign guru". He wanted my opinion on what "went wrong" with Summer's campaign. I don't know if I feel good about this or not, but he & I seem to be the only ones not happy with the result.

So I was pretty honest, but his last response...ouch babe! He called her a "princess" and not in a nice way along with a few other things. Seems as if he's already heard that she was hesitant to do the grunt work a candidate needs to do to win. He was a lot harder on her than I was.

But my last reply I think sums it up. She's 25 years old. When I was 25, I was a 300 pound blob who may have been a registered Republican. People change. And if she's not cut out to be a politician, she's still gonna make a very good community activist.

Job Hunt

Whoo Lordy!

I've applied for so many gigs I can't even remember them all. Of course I haven't heard much back...I mean, I'm telling folks that I won't be back in town until Christmas. What are they going to say? I have suggested phone interviews, but not many are keen on that idea. So let's see...what have I applied for:

• I just sent my resume to Expeditionary Learning Schools to become a school designer in the Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca area.


• Rochester YMCA to be a Program Director


• The United Way to run something that I don't even remember...I just know that I'd have to wear shoes and big boy pants.


• Special Ed Teacher at Halpern Day Treament for Hillside.


• The Center for Youth Services as some kind of school based counselor.


• Deaf Services Manager at the Center for Disability Rights.


• Treatment Coordinator at Continuing Developmental Services.


• Santa Claus at Midtown Plaza.

OK, just kidding on the last one. There's others as well that I can't remember. Oh yeah...there was the trainer for some company that makes sealant...I'm kinda glad they didn't call back. My heart just isn't into sealant. Oh sure, I like things when they're sealed, but I just don't have the passion for sealant. Now if it was lubricant...I'd be all over that. But sealant...nah.

What was I talking about, again?

Oh yeah, a job. I was thinking about this last night. I really wish there was a way to do a Vin Scelsa thing...to be this radio guy who can pretty much do whatever he wants on the air. He had to go through a lot of cruddy radio jobs at a very young age, when the industry wasn't as smarmy so he's earned his right to do what he does. And I'm pretty sure he's not a rich guy by any means. But it sure would be cool to do that. I spend a fair amount of time on the podcast and would have a blast if somehow that could be a career. I mean I could really shape it into something unique if I could do it more than an hour a week. But I don't think the medium is viable to sustain a career on.

It would be cool, though.

Uh-Oh

I know this doesn't mean squat, scientifically, but it's November in Hawaii. It's kinda stifling and there is absolutely NO breeze. Something's gonna go down. I don't know what, but this isn't normal.

If I was a real Jew, my knee would be acting up.