Comic for Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Posted: 6:40 am, Thursday, July 10th

So there's no way to get myself in a ton of hot water quickly than to start blogging about school. But this is really just a story that takes place in school, more that it is a story about school. Those of you who know me, and probably most of you who just read the site regularly, can probably imagine that I am not actually that dressy of a guy. Torn jeans and t-shirts are pretty standard for me, and fuck you all, I still wear my Tevas every day, and I will go to a bar in them, I don't care. So far this summer, since the teaching thing began, I've been sporting a button-down, dress shoes and slacks every single day. This has somehow earned me fashion plate status to some small degree. I started teaching summer school last week, and the dress code has not changed. Until today. I busted out one of the ties that I bought on Sunday, a dark red checked affair that I promptly ruined just a little bit by putting my shoulder bag on and nicking it with some of the velcro fasteners. (D'oh!) I kept the rest of it on the down-low - since I'm not trying to massively impress, just felt like sporting a tie - a black short-sleeve button-down, black-and-gray checked pants, my black Kenneth Cole shoes. Feeling a little overdressed at first, I go to school, everything's good, no problem, talk in front of the kids just a little bit since I taught my lesson for the week yesterday, and the first class goes by no problem. The second class starts, everything's good, it's a smaller group, so the work goes by a little more quickly, and then this one kid goes,

"Mister, you look like the dude from Green Day."

My professor in my ed courses taught in the system for thirty-something years, and keeps telling us to be the master of the quick response. Never let them know they got you, that sort of thing. And I've been good with that so far. Except for this one. Because fuck if this kid wasn't right. I totally looked like Billie Jo, with sideburns and no eyeliners. So my response was, "Oh my God, I totally do. I don't wear eyeliner, though."

Came up with a better response later on, "He's my cousin." But it was several hours later.

Two things: 1) Shut the fuck up, Jesse Jackson, and 2) is it any surprise that O'Reilly pulled the rug out from under Jackson on this one? Dillweed.

Oh, man, memory lane, right here. Reminds me, I never grabbed the 90s mix from Captain's Dead a while back. And now that I've done half of that, it's starting to get late. I'd best get myself to bed.

bullfrog

2.0 -- Thursday, July 10 2008, 06:56 am

sad...

I'm not sure how Jesse Jackson phrased it (and even his quote below could use some editing), but it doesn't sound that "ugly" or wrong to ask that "the moral content of his message to not only deal with the personal and moral responsibility of black males, but to deal with the collective moral responsibility of government and the public policy which would be a corrective action for the lack of good choices that often led to their irresponsibility.” ... Sure, it's bad when fathers don't stick around -- but the whys and wherefores seem larger than just plain irresponsibility ... just my two cents.

One of the mighty benefits of teaching at the college level is that you can fire back at students. I vividly remember my physics prof freshman year responding thus:

Female Student: "Is that from like the seventies?"

Prof: "Is that hairstyle courtesy of the frat boy that bagged you last night?"

It was very funny. I hope to compete with it but i dont lecture often enough to get a good rhythm going.

Ktbb, I'm guessing you missed this, but I think the controversy off-air, in which he expressed a desire to "cut Barack's nuts off."

ugh...missing part of that sentence

controversy *came from what he said off-air*

Jeez maneez! They certainly didn't tell us that over here in Tea-and-Crumpet land! I still agree with Jesse's glossing of his main criticism afterward -- I think it is important to look at the larger picture (and not every fatherless household is hurting -- some with just one or two moms do just fine) ... but I hadn't known he'd said that. Jeez. Why couldn't he have phrased his criticisms in a way people would take seriously?

On a completely unrelated subject, has anyone ever seen this movie, "Broadcast News"? It has Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks and William Hurt in it. Anyway, it's really good so far. I'm worried she's going to end up with the wrong guy in the end...

The dialogue in this movie from the 80's is so great - I'm having one of those moments when you think all the dialogue in the movies nowadays is crap.

Okay, nevermind, the ending was rather anticlimatic. Go back to discussing politics.

Great editorial on the supposed Barack flip-flopping in the Times today: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/opinion/10collins.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

I think Barack was more than right to say what he did. I'm Captain Liberal on pretty much every issue, but when it comes to taking responsibility for your kids, well then I turn into Dr. Morality. If you aren't going to take a stand on your own progeny, then what the hell are you going to stand for? Clearly we can't blame the decline of black fatherhood entirely on poverty; that and the effects of racism were far worse on the black community in the days before the black family witnessed the decline it's had in the past 40 years.

My wife pointed out that Obama wouldn't go into a room of white people and tell them they need to be better fathers, but I say why the hell shouldn't he do that? Parenting is a race-neutral issue of morality and people need a kick in the fucking ass sometimes.

Societal change starts with the family. Social programs should support that as much as possible, but at some point the beneficiaries still have to stand up and git 'er done.

He said it with his mic on, at commercial I believe. It wasn't meant to be heard by the masses. Though I do wonder how much of what he said was merely a window into how these guys speak to (and about) each other generally.

I can't believe a seasoned TV person like Jesse Jackson can't remember that the mic and camera are ALWAYS on. That move was just stupid.

"Your mom looks like Green Day." That would have been my response.

I've been working at a local charity that specializes in tackling poverty issues, and I think Barack is dead right on target when it comes to personal responsibility, children, and the African-American Man. Lots and lots of children get into trouble and never get out of it. And I have to hear from the mothers who can only try to defend their sons actions and their current state in life.

All sorts of (now-standard) technical difficulties at the world HQ, gang. We're trying our damnedest around here, hang tight.

Yeah, we are totally delayed today. We're looking at either no strip for today, or no strip until about three or so. Many, many apologies.

Unacceptable!

A direct email of strip service should be provided.

How about an Saturday Morning strip?

Go easy on him Grafe, he's beside himself. It was a sad, sad morning at Five Bucks HQ. Things were thrown...

Ok, not really. But he did get visibly stressed--something I don't see too often.

He has 8 hours of testing on Saturday so that's probably not gonna happen either. The problem is his computer screen is busted--and has only been working by the grace of God in recent months.

God appears to have other plans for July.

Unfortunately I have a Mac and I can't run his version of Creative Suite.

Grafe wants his money back. He demands a full refund.

That, I can provide! Give me a few minutes to try and chow some grub, and I'll get to seeing about scanning the pencil-and-crayon strip I was working on this morning until I realized, oh, shit, I have to shower, shave and get dressed for class and an interview! (And by "I realized," I mean, "2.0 told me.")

Is this common nollitch? The Wire guy is going to do a show in New Orleans?

http://blog.nola.com/davewalker/2008/07/hbo_sets_drama_series_in_treme.html

I graciously allowed him to jump me in line for the shower also.

Unless I'm missing something (not unlikely), our printer/scanner/copier is actually just a printer/copier. So my crayon-work appears to be for naught. But you're all welcome to come by World HQ and I can just show you the drawing I did.

Could you send it to me by carrier pigeon?

We may be back in business as soon as this evening, gang. Which I guess, to you all, means strip on Monday, since I'll still have to draw it on the computer. If it does turn out that this thing scans, I'll get it to you tonight or tomorrow morning, but otherwise, yeah, I just took a day off.

I expect a bachelor party strip in honor of our soon to be fallen comrade. Good luck on your test.

Technically, I think he's *your* soon-to-be fallen comrade - he's joining my army, man.

Whooo! We have screenage back at World HQ. This laptop sucks so much. Hopefully this is the last snafu 'til the fall.

Ho, damn, I can't wait for this kid to suit up for the squad.

http://www.ndnation.com/boards/showpost.php?b=football;pid=43172;d=this

Is it bad that my first thought when Julio Lugo tweakied his ankle or something hitting first in the bottom of the ninth of a lost cause game was, "Lowrie!"?