one darn good cure for my pain

Morphine, Cure for Pain

A few tidbits: the band had no guitarist, but I loved them. (A 3-piece, they had bass, sax, & drums.)

The singer, Mark Sandman (yep, "Sandman") "sang" Beat-inspired lyrics over a "low rock" sound.

Sandman died on stage. Tragic/comic, & pretty cool, of all possible ways to go.

NOTE: WARM, SNUGGLY "I-LOVE-MY-WIFE" SENTIMENTALITY ALERT
I chose this music because Thursday was my wife's birthday. As she would say, she's as close to 50 now as she is to 20. Anyway, she introduced me to Morphine (the band!!) many years ago, when we used to hang out in my apartment just listening to really cool music & getting to know each other.

We got together just a few weeks after her 20th birthday, a fact I neglected to note all those years ago, because at age 25 had I been dating a teenager I'd have been contractually obligated to mock myself mercilessly.

We connected, got engaged within a month, & tied that proverbial knot 11 April 1997.

"They" say behind every good man is a good woman, but we stay up here together, neither behind or in front of the other.

I like to say that 1 + 1 = 1, as we came together to create a cool new thing.

& now, many years later, we got 1 + 1 + 3 = 1, & I gotta thank god or the universe for this amazing family we have created out here, about 2500 miles from the small town in which we both grew up.

Linda reads this every once in a while, & a few weeks ago I mentioned Talbot & my kids & maybe some other folks, & she wondered where her mention was.

Well, here it is.

I refuse to go the "luckiest-man-in-the-world" cliched route here, but I will say that I must have done something right to have earned the right to have such an amazing woman choose to marry me, travel across the country with me, & raise these kids with me.

She's great at being a wife, a mother, & a friend.

She is not a "teacher" by trade, but everyone she meets learns from her & becomes a better person for having met her.

She stayed home for several years to provide our kids a foundation, went to school at night for 2 years to become a nurse (valedictorian, class president, award-winner, speech-maker).

She got a job last year, & every kid she has to give a shot is lucky to have such a caring, compassionate lady to hold his or her hand.

She has a new job coming up this month (more money!! yay!! we can eat out again soon!!), & she'll be working with more kids, & she'll make them all feel a little better about their lot.

Quite simply, if you ever get the chance to meet her, you should take the opportunity & cherish it.

I know I do.

Juniors:
The do-now had to do with 1st impressions of Houyhnhnms.

(Yep, it took me about 8 years of teaching this novel to master the spelling of that one. Always thought there was another "y" in there somewhere.)

Several of you loved 'em, & several hated 'em. By the time this is posted, you will have come to see Gullibver's views to fruition.

Part 4, chapter 4 in class.

Just to mix it up, I gave you a printout of the chapter, you read & annotated, & then you summarized in fewer than 100 words & analyzed one point/idea/character/image for more than 100 words.


Sophomores:
More stuff about that essay.

Yep, it will be done soon.

You have many, many handouts & links to get all the details of literary analysis, & I have all-but-guaranteed you a "C" at worst if you follow all directions.

Remember: make it look like an A, & then we'll see about it.

be cool . . .