Teacher James

First day of teaching went well!  Granted, it was a pretty low-intensity job for the day but I'll take it.

The Trouble With Ernest

I've mentioned that me and my nephew did some summer reading together, including The Nick Adams Stories by Hemingway.  I figured short stories would be nice as opposed to something longer and heavier.  Additionally, I have fond memories of reading it on a suggestion many years ago in college.

Anyhow, I guess it's my own fault for forgetting just how many times Hemingway uses -- relies on! -- the n-word.

I won't bother to quote, but there's a story called "The Battler" about an aged and senile former boxer.  It's a good distillation of EH at his best and worst -- sublime pacing, subtle character details, etc.  The problem is how he describes the boxer's black caretaker.  If it was as simple as "he was an n-word" it wouldn't stand out too much for a story first published in the 1920s.  But it's an obsession with him, describing black bodies with the ugliest of words -- "his n-word legs," "his n-word hair," "that n-word smell."

Do I regret choosing this book?  A little!  I think a better approach would have been just to focus on a few of the stories -- "The Killers," "Indian Camp" at the very least -- rather than have to hash out the language debate every half page.

Literature, man.

Welcome to 50, James!

Last night at home I was watching a movie and noticed something wet on my upper lip.  Since I am a Disgusting Person, I just licked at it thinking it was some kind of nasal drip.  Turns out, it was blood!

Basically, by the time I got up to grab some wet wipes my right nostril was gushing the red stuff.  I ruined a good hoodie (unless I want to walk around looking like an ax murderer, but you never know).

I got it under control but while sleeping last night I coughed up a ball of something hideous, part blood and phlegm and cranial fluid I think.

Anyhow, I'm 50 now.  Guessing it isn't cancer, but quite possibly leprosy.

In my defense, Maryland has gone from 95 degree, humid days, to more respectable 80 degrees and relatively dry.  I think that's why my mucous membranes are withering.

Good times!

Deadpool & Wolverine: What I Thunk

I find myself at a point in life where both my nerd tolerance and my meta-referential tolerance are both quite high.  But short of a Ph.D. in Fox versus Disney shenanigans this might not be the movie for you.  The performances are fine, the villain is iffy, but there are some laugh out loud moments amidst the carnage.

Probably a good place to stop both franchises.  Earned.  Done.  Go home Ryan Reynolds, you're drunk.

Delight and Instruct

This Wednesday I've got orientation for being a substitute teacher for the county.  Honestly, I was trying to get away from teaching but job-wise it pays well, it opens paths towards full-time teaching, and I applied for every damn job I was qualified for since my Dad died last November.  As mentioned, I was tutoring for a really terrible company for a while but it did pay a few bills.

There is a really wide range of schools around here.  I've heard actual subs tell me everything from you're basically a warden to much more positive experiences actually teaching and building relationships with students.

We'll see!  But it's nice to finally have something full-time lined up.