Thank you for the mojo. Jess' play auditions went incredibly well. On Tuesday she has vocal/singing auditions in the chorus class for the specific role she wants. I guess the character she wants has to sing (Crazy German Opera Singers usually do). And she can sing -- that's not a problem. She's decided to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and will do it with operatic flair. The girl does have a sense of humor, no?
Continue your mojo and prayers if you will for our boy Aaron. He still hasn't found a job out in Washington, which sucks because I know he'd like to stay there. But here's an opportunity for ya -- Jess informed me the other day that her science teacher up and quit, or was released. This is the second science teacher this year.
The first one left under a veil of secrecy. Jess said the rumors were that he had a nervous breakdown. Not sure if that is true or not. So I had informed Aaron about that opening, he'd pretty much just gotten to Washington and was settling in, so he passed. A few weeks went by and they still didn't have a teacher lined up. So I called the school to ask what was going on. The assistant principal, nicest lady ever, told me that they had a teacher picked and his start date was in another week. So Aaron missed on that chance. They didn't receive a lot of applicants for the job, and it was rather disappointing for Jess to go several weeks without a teacher.
So it happens again -- vacancy. Same position. Same job. He's eminently qualified for it, the only obstacles are
a) he's in Washington
b) he's not licensed/certified in Massachusetts
He called the Assistant Principal to talk to her, let her know that he's willing to move back east, that he's willing to obtain licensure, that he's incredibly qualified, and more than willing. She wanted his resume immediately in order to take it to the superintendent. He sent that over to her. If they can "get over" as Doug and I put it, the fact that he is not licensed yet in MA, they could have a replacement teacher immediately. Or, they could show my kid and her classmates more Bill Nye the Science Guy videos for 3 or 4 weeks while substitutes and other science teachers in the district attempt to pick up the slack.
I say, hire Aaron. What do you say?
Doug and I talked about it last night, and we know what he can do, what kind of work he can do, the kind of person he is. And I said that other parents start ground swells for stuff they want. I can make a stink too. Hire him as a "long term substitute" the way they do for maternity leave. It's January for Crying Out Loud. Bring him here, get him in, and he can kick start his licensure through Salem State.
So -- pray for the right plan to fall into place. He needs a job. He needs it now. This is cookie-cutter perfect. And we can find a place for him to live, we can find somewhere for him to sleep, we can do those things and more.
Thanks for your continued care.
Geoff has a half day at school today, and then on Monday they've got the day off.
I am staying home this morning and when his bus gets here we will rush down to Salem to have lunch with Brian, Ben and Dan (and probably Peg) and then go to my office for a while... Doug will come to my office at about 3 and get Geoff for me, and then I'll be able to continue working. Over the next couple of weeks my job is changing and shifting due to some new projects. Things have already shifted slightly onto my plate that weren't there a few weeks ago, and now I am all over it. I'm taking over some of MB's tasks as she transitions into a slightly modified position. This is all new and interesting and ... cool.
In the meantime, we've been plugging away at cleaning out our bedroom in preparation for the high holy revered furniture set. The bedroom has become the Black Hole of stuff for our family. Don't know what to do with it? Stick it in the corner. Geoff's outgrown clothing? Yeah, I'll put it in a bag and stick it in the corner and take it to the Salvation Army (in 3 years). I've gone through my bureau and purged stuff I will simply never wear again. I've got old negatives and old pictures that will be boxed and placed in storage probably in the cabinets up above the computer here. There are piles of books, neatly stacked and organized, which will go onto bookcases that I'll get once the bedroom set is in there. The place will finally look like I wanted it to look when we bought the house 10 years ago.
I'm getting a lot done, and the bedroom set will be here sometime tomorrow, and so I'm pressed for time. Having the half day at this point is great. I will get a lot done, shower, run to the grocery store and be back all in time to meet Geoff's bus.
Hopefully.
I'm drinking some coffee and waking up a bit first. No use rushing into things all higgledy piggledy though.
You know me.
I did not watch or listen to any of the Judge Samuel Alito confirmation hearings but did hear a little exchange on the radio.
I found a great transcript webpage (Google is my friend) which has the full exchange on it, which I figured I needed to share. Reminding you all, we're trying to get to the bottom of whether or not a man is fit to serve as a justice on the supreme court, and find out what his depth of constitutional knowledge is.
From Day 3 of the confirmation hearings. Enjoy:
DURBIN: Let me ask you, if I might, to reflect on a couple other things. You're a Bruce Springsteen fan?
ALITO: I am to some degree, yes.
DURBIN: I guess most people in New Jersey would be. They should be.
ALITO: There was a movement some time ago -- we don't have an official state song and there was a movement to make "Born to Run" our official state song. But it didn't quite make it.
DURBIN: We'll stick with Lincoln in Illinois, but I can understand your commitment to Bruce Springsteen. They once asked him: How do you come up with the songs that you write and the characters that are in them? And he said, I have a familiarity with the crushing hand of fate. It's a great line.
*dead*
What the hell does that have to do with ANYTHING. Seriously. "We'll stick with Lincoln in Illinois." Well good for you, ya moron. Go march down the street to it while waving a big flag in the air. Knock yourself out. Who. Cares.
They wasted breath and time with crap lines of questioning like this. Let's find out if he's a Springsteen fan just because he's from New Jersey. They didn't ask him if he liked the Rolling Stones. They didn't ask him if he liked Bon Jovi. No. Springsteen.
What would Durbin have said, I wonder, if Alito said "No, I don't really care for Springsteen, his music, or his politics." Durbin's response is the kind of thing that college boys talk about when they ask one another if they're into certain bands "Dude, I read this interview with Green Day in Rolling Stone, and Billie Joe said..." It has nothing to do with constitutional law. Shut. UP.
Why didn't they say, "Hey, you're Italian. Do you like Pizza or Spaghetti more! Answer the question! You're a Guinea for Jersey! YOU MUST HAVE A PREFERENCE! A PRECEDENT MUST BE SET! Would you over turn a decision to serve Linguini instead of Angel Hair! Don't dodge the question! What about canolis! Chocolate or Plain! YOU MUST DECIDE!"
Someone please hand Durbin a cocktail and tell him to go wait in the corner for Ted Kennedy and they can talk about their favorite rock stars for a few hours, and the "Glory Days" of their wasted and lost youth, and hopefully some other senators can step up and ask some relevant questions.
This is one of those little things that makes me want to run my car off a bridge.
Anyway -- I've spent too much time goofing off this morning. I have Things! To! Do! So I'd best get to them. More later friends. Have a super Friday.
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