Tired

God damn. Exhausted. Falling asleep at school.
Also, cute record store chick keeps getting all my money! Damn her ladylike wiles.

Tragedy

This seems like an idea destined for tragedy.

Just read that last sentence. What on earth are they thinking?

And I'm feeling kinda crummy.

But in other news, because of the PSATs today I only "taught" two classes. One of which was a study hall. And since I didn't want the kids to get too far ahead, I just talked about La Malinche and other ancillary topics of Mexican culture. Also, Machismo. (Thanks Women in the Hispanic World(you have to scroll to the bottom to read about it))And then we reviewed stuff. An easy day. I've spent two hours sitting here trying to figure out what I'm going to be teaching kids tomorrow.

Turns out it's review stuff, mostly. Although I just learned an interesting method of tutelage called "Total Physical Response Storytelling." If I can find a story to tell to my Spanish I kids, maybe I'll give that a whirl.

Yep.

Bray's

Dad played at Bray's the other night. I wrote this guy up about it, mostly while there:

Its fall nights in a dim bar with a good beer and a great band that make me realize I wouldn't give up Maine for the world.
An easy Allman Brothers song has the bar bobbing it's collective head. Smooth, simple guitar solos. Each of the two guitarists feeding off each other in a celebration of what music is all about.
The stage is lit red and a witch is silhouetted against the moon in a novelty light set above the drummer. One light points up at a guitarist and his shadow moves behind him in sync with him. A black doppelganger.
Bray's on a Friday night. The band has no name I know and yet they're miles above the clientele who yell drunken requests and clap on the off (or every) beat.
But above all the music. The slow songs drop conversations to whispered words and eyes wander across the room. Does this song have more meaning for some? Was someone's virginity lost to this song on a long forgotten prom night? Or maybe it was just a car ride in the sunny afternoon, leaves changing all around.

I see my love/ love shining on down through the years

As they cut into a cover of "All Along the Watchtower" that is drenched in 70s rock, I realize I can't wait for the blues jam here on Sunday. Now they're every Sunday, but once October ends it changes to the last Sunday of the month. I recommend you check it out.
The "All Along the Watchtower" cover that dripped the sweet honey of Paige and Plant segued remarkably smoothly into a Johnny Cash tune. These guys have a range, I can tell you that.
As they cut into break time I find out they do have a name. The Sensations.
On top of the phenomenal band, Bray's has some excellent micro-brew beers. Tonight I enjoyed Willie McGill's Brown but the favorite I've had there is the Oatmeal Stout.
All in all, Bray's is a quality establishment. Although as the evening dwindled to a close a rather short and old woman sauntered up to me as a song was quite clearly ending and said, "Hey, tall boy, wanna dance?" I informed her I don't dance and yet she persisted in asking again.
Ah well, vaguely humorous stories are always good for the repertoire.

Teaching

Teaching is working out pretty well. I'm enjoying it, by and large, and find that even in the parts where I'm shaky I've got a lot of support. The Foreign Language Department at school is really helpful, I'm in a class that meets after school on Tuesdays and my mother has been helping a lot, too.

I'm enjoying being back in Maine for the most part but man, I miss having friends around. I mean, there's about two here. I've joined a kickball league (through WAKA, if'n yer curious) and that's pretty cool. I play with a friend I had from long ago and some acquaintances and it seems to be going pretty well. We lose but we get to drink on the field. In the end that's what sports is really all about. To quote the great Homer, "Son, when you attend a sporting event it's not about whether you win or lose but how drunk you get." Roughly.

So apart from that I've just got Nick. And I like Nick a lot but I don't wanna be like crowding his shit or whatever. Also, he lives pretty far away. Everyone does.

So that's my gripe. I'm kinda lonely. Mum cooks for me a lot, though! So groceries are cheap and rent's minimal. I should have plenty of money for when I go to Europe next summer.

So that's that.

THREE UNDEAD BILL PAXTONS?

All right, so I've got a new job and shit teaching Spanish at Lake Region High School. But whatever, here's what I'm really excited about:

Alien V Predator 2: V Terminator. The flick has THREE UNDEAD BILL PAXTONS! I don't know anything more about it except that he's also instrumental in bringing down all three nasty beasties. In an act of revenge? Who knows!? They're undead/mindless! OR ARE THEY!!!

Oh man oh man oh man oh man.

Oh, according to the IMDb it'll actually be AVP3:VT. Whatever.


Dibs on writing it!

Writing here again. If only because it easily links to facebook.

Which just might be the lamest thing ever. But it's exciting.

The summer went well. 8 weeks of kids both smart and dumb, awesome and awful. Actually, we really didn't have many problem children and I can only think of one who was actively nasty. The others just were loud and obvious about their disdain for regular work and preference of things like bad flash games and Nelly's Trapped in the Closet. Guh.

The rest of the time in VA was pretty cool, too. Benstyn's friends are good people and I've enjoyed hanging out with them muchly. I'm headed back down there later on today, in fact, before I start my... NEW JOB!!

I am, in fact, a high school teacher. Not even any of that substitute bullshit. I'm a teacher. I'm going to earn more money than I know what to do with if I understand the situation correctly. Teachers are certainly underpaid for the work they do, but $28K is a lot of money for a single guy who lives with his mom.

I'm pretty excited. I'll be teaching Spanish 1 and 2. I have to come up with lesson plans and grade tests and papers. It's at my alma mater, too. Lake Region High School in Naples, ME. My Spanish and Latin teachers (My favorites) are still there, too. And when I told Nick's family, his brother said that he had been thinking about dropping out of Latin to take my class. Then he asked for an A.

I told him he could have one if he earned it.

Nick'll be around for the year, which will be fun, I think. He's got a job as a news editor for WGME. Right now he'll be editing tape-to-tape via tape decks but the reason they hired him is his skills with Avid. They are, apparently, getting an Avid editing system in a couple months and he's probably one of ten people in the state who even know what Avid is. Frankly, my own concept of it is rather vague and ethereal.

I suppose I'd be in remiss if I failed to mention that my dog has been rather sick lately. He's developed this nasty and persistent cough that sounds like my old car. Or rather, if my old car was Maxx, they'd sound alike. Although Maxx doesn't do it all the time and have a key stuck in his ignition.

New car runs great, though.

Well, if I'm to make it down to Virginia today, I is best to be rising up.

Krister, out.

Made it all the way to UVA without so much as an engine light coming on.

I rock. So does the car. Thanks Grammy and Aunt Lynn.

A day on the road did bad shit to my physique. Bad food and lots of sitting. Damn.

I went to Lewiston before leaving for VA. Had to sit through an additional 3 hours or so of class time because the teacher couldn't teach the class in the regular order. Normally CPR is taught at the beginning and first aid after, but someone (I'm assuming it was that miserable chickenshit God) told her she had to teach First Aid first.

Balls on that. Two of 'em. In a sweaty sack. On it's forehead.

Think I just thought of a good way to torture people.

Drove for 12 hours to Herndon, VA where Tristyn was gracious enough to let me crash at her place. Got about four hours of sleep (on top of the 5 from the night before). Drove to Charlottesville.

On the drive down I decided I really, really like the word Pepper. It has some psychosomatic effect on me. I can feel it wrap around the back of my head. Also the word Milk, but only if it's pronounced just right. The "k" at the end can't be phlegmy at all. A hard and crisp sound. Also, the "i" should come from deeper in the throat. Nick Cave says it admirably in one of the songs on Boatman's Call. Not my favorite of songs, but you know. Also, the dude from Type O Negative in the song Black No. 1.

Anyway, I'm gonna crash for a bit.

Although I'm discovering why I should never have created a playlist called "Songs I could listen to incessantly." Cant... stop... listening!

I'm not surprised by this:

Your Political Profile

Overall: 10% Conservative, 90% Liberal

Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

How Much do you like copying me?

Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon, off his final album The Wind, is perhaps one of the most beautiful, emotional and sad songs I have ever heard.

Zevon was dying of cancer when he wrote this album, the whole thing is a masterpiece, really. He got phenomenal talent to work with him and is himself quite talented. Noted accompanying stars: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Ry Cooder. It ranges from fun, humorous songs (Dirty Life and Times for instance, which features the line "I'm looking for a girl with low self-esteem" and "If she won't love me her sister will") to the sad, somber songs you'd expect from a man who is reflecting on his life. Notably touching are El Amor de Mi Vida and Rest of the Night. One being an ode to lost love and the other a call to "Party for the Rest of the Night."

The album is particularly touching when you consider this is his last work. He knew it would be his last work. Instead of making a moral-spewing piece or a musical last will, he took liberty and had a lot of fun and created a really solid album. Death leaks into it all just the same, but that only binds it together and makes the gestalt sweeter.

But back to Keep Me In Your Heart. It is the last track on the album and his most focused on his imminent death. What is so wonderful about it is how simple yet evocative it manages to be. I think I've listened to it four or five times in the last half an hour and it's brought tears to my eyes every time. His words are perfect, they paint the picture without being overly dramatic or needlessly obscure. This song is about a man who has come to terms with what will happen to him, and his one last plea. Keep me in your heart for a while.

In perhaps the most startling and stirring news on this entire blog, from college acceptance to melissa and I dating to Tristyn dumping me, I am giving the Web Browser Opera. So far I find it to be much like Firefox, but I'm digging it's layout more.
Also, I hear there's a bunch of nifty keyboard shortcuts to learn. To make my web browsing a more fulfilling experience no doubt.

Ha! I'll die alone.