New Currency

The Treasury Dept. has issued a new dollar bill to reflect the state of the economy....

*from friend, Mark, and the People in Common

A Rant

I've been wrestling with several things lately - things that keep me up at night and that stress me out in the day. I've been suffering anxiety attacks everyday this week, and I'm so keyed up that I can hardly concentrate on things that matter - my job, my kid, um.. my life! I know I am ridiculous, which is part of the anxiety, yet I can't handle myself lately. This reaction is part of my "condition", surely.

HOWEVER, I can't help but feel that some of what's happening to me is a real reaction to what's going on around me: stress over the economy (and how it is very personally affecting me); stress over what I consider the moral obligation of the leader of my county and the party he represents, the obligation that both he and his party are conveniently ignoring; stress about what will happen in the November; stress about how I can possibly afford daycare, gas, my mortgage, and my accumulated debt. And I'm not the only one.

It has become cliche to talk about change. It has become too familiar for the average person to stand up and say, "I can't afford health insurance AND daycare for my kids," because that is the image we repeatedly see associated with the Obama campaign. What at first was empathetic, has become "blahditty blah blah blah" to people who are talking about the future of our nation - the same folks who are debating about whether or not Palin is right for the job (she isn't) and those who justify the "bail out" without considering the people etc.

But DAMMIT. Something has to change!

The moral responsibility - the moral obligation has gone by the wayside. The same folks who are REALLY concerned about abortion (or really, no abortion) or who are excited about the "end times" and this ridiculous war we are waging, do not give a damn about the fact that I can't buy gas this month unless I put it on my credit card, creating further debt etc. and so on. I am an educated, degree holding, gainfully employed person (as Fougs calls me) who is married to an educated, degree holding, gainfully employed person, and I can't afford to buy gas. I haven't been irresponsible with my money. I waited until I was 32 to have a baby. I am a person of integrity, who believes in the good of mankind, who ACTIVELY works at bettering my mind, my heart, my community. My work is a service - I teach school. I love my job.

And I can't fucking afford to buy gas.

And fine. Whatever. Who cares? (Seriously) I am not opposed to living hand to mouth. I've done it before and was just as happy, probably moreso. I'm not afraid of having little. And maybe it's good for my kid to understand the value of "things."

But there is a definite breakdown of moral obligation in this country.

We cannot call ourselves a god fearing nation - a Christian nation - if we are in the business of not helping people - whether we are talking about finances or food. The argument that people won't help themselves is BOGUS. The argument that so and so doesn't have enough faith is BOGUS. The argument that a person deserves his lot is BOGUS. It has never been our job to judge a man's worth for any reason - regarding abortions or sexuality (and if I may be candid, skin color, which I think is really an issue whether we'll admit it or not) or anything else - and anyone who says otherwise is misguided and doesn't truly know the teachings of Jesus (or Mohammad).

A friend of mine sent me an essay written by the lovely Alice Walker (who wrote The Color Purple), and I thought it cliche at first. She asserts that the major problem with our country is that our leaders do not love the people. A true leader, a good leader loves his people, even through the shit. That's what's missing.

But now more than thinking the idea cliche, I find myself in agreement. We (our country) have been greedy. Blind. Inconsiderate. Arrogant. We deserve to fall in all of our selfish foolishness. We do. If our children acted the way our country has, we would be absolutely horrified and apologetic! And if we weren't, others would comment about our lack of parenting skills - that we weren't teaching our children virtues or morals, or about the basic rules of humanity - sharing, generosity, good stewardship, charity, responsibility - how not to throw fits when we don't get what we want. We do not have a leader (and haven't had one in my lifetime) who loves us or who looks out for our best interests, who guides us in the right direction. And we, in our democracy, have allowed this and made excuses for it. And now we need help. We need our leader. And we have been left wanting.

We cannot let this trend continue.

We are better than that.

That's why I have to vote for Obama. At least he acknowledges his moral obligation to me, to this country. I think he loves people- of all nationalities and religions. I think he wants to do some work to heal the things that are broken - his moral obligation to do what's right. And if I'm wrong, OK. But at least I voted according to my conscience - MY moral obligation to help people.

Why keep her on a pedestal?

Because otherwise she will falter! Sarah Palin is a JOKE. Stop pandering to my ovaries and give me something real to work with..

Um, like Mexico or Spain or whatever? Same Diff.

There are no words

Standing in line to buy a righteous babe t-shirt:

Ginger: "I'll take a #4 Medium"

Vendor: "Got it."

Ginger: (holding shirt to torso, talking to Rich or to anyone who will listen) I don't know. Should I get a small?"

Girl Next in Line: "Well. This would look really good if you wanted it to hang off your shoulder like this, but otherwise you should get a size smaller."

Ginger: (looking at girl with gratitude) Thanks..Um. (Studying the girl's features...thinking Oh my God) Are you Cara?

Girl Next in Line: (looking up for the first time) OH MY GOD. MRS. HAAG!!?!!!!!?!

(Much hugging and kissing and kissing and hugging and tears and squeals and hugging and kissing and oh God! hugging!!)

Cara: I KNEW you'd be here! I just knew it! I've been thinking about you.

Ginger: Cara! How are you? Oh my God!? I love you!

(exiting line)

Cara: (To friend) Remember when I told you about my coach... Fruit Roller coaster... Creative problem solving? Fuck! This is her! This is Mrs. Haag!

Ginger: I taught Cara in 7th grade a million years ago!

Cara: I Love you! Let's have coffee. Soon. Promise me.

Ginger: Yeah. We have to . I've missed you so much. I have a kid.

Cara: No way! Oh my God!

Ginger: Yeah. We have to catch up.

Cara: Here's my number. Please call me.

Ginger: Yes! (tears)

Cara: I love you!

Ginger : I love you!

And we were reunited in that moment. Cara was one of my three angels - the girls I took under my wing, ones I would do anything for - that I taught ten years ago. I have been in constant contact with the other two but lost touch with my Cara. And just by chance I saw her tonight for the first time in years. And I can't even tell you how much it means to me to see her again. She's my baby, too. I want nothing more than for her life to work.. And she's overcome so much. I'm gushing..

Righteous Babe is Here

Ani DiFranco represents my mirror lovin' girl power - daisy, grin, or die- side, and I get to go to her show tonight! A HUGE thanks to Rich who is risking his manhood for this early birthday surprise!!

Picnic and Poetry

The LitMag Scalawags hosted their first poetry reading of the year today. Items of interest included a Wonderlandish array of colors, faerie lights, ticky clocks, community tea, and a yellow rubber ducky called (using your best pirate accent) Yar'ly! The theme of this fantastic fete was Civil Liberties, a challenge inspired by a sunny shod Corduroy Kid. In solidarity with our lovely friends across the pond who are actively promoting rights for all of our brothers and sisters, we read poems that both celebrated the liberties we have and pointed fingers at the ones that have been infringed upon. We are all too aware that we are losing our freedoms under the guise of "safety" - or are we truly aware? And that's partly the point, I think.

Hedonistic Afternoon, Serious and True

Two girls at a coffee house are giddy at the realization that they can get their coffee in actual mugs - colorful and substantial - like the regulars they imagine themselves to be, instead of in those lifeless, generic paper cups.

"Vanilla latte!" the barista calls, "and a mocha frappe!"

The girls, smiling, skip to the counter to retrieve their overflowing cups of well deserved goodness and then return to their Geo-political discussions, unmarked reminders of their professionalism aside. As they continue their conversation, they find themselves in a state of discontent. They turn their mugs this way and that, confused. Frustrated. How, they wonder, are they supposed to actually consume their coffees from these lovely mugs that they celebrated just three minutes ago?

And then they note the folks around them who are staring and giggling at the girls' blatant awkwardness.

"Ah, go ahead. Put your face in it," one particularly large man on the corner couch brays in between unanswered blue tooth demands.

And they heed the advice with complete determination (or was it defiance?), remembering the words extolled by their new, matching, oddly sagacious fridge magnets:

"Ever notice that what the hell is always the right decision?"

"Forget you, Vanity! We will not be held back by society's presumptuous laws of decorum! " they silently exclaim to one another in a single glance. With a shadow of a smirk, their eyebrows raised, they dive in head first.

As they emerge from their mugs, victorious- the coffee conflict conquered- they declare, in their most confident warble to the man on the couch and to all of the other distracted caffeine connoisseurs, "We like whipped cream on our noses! So there! Take that!"

And they did.

Redefining Our Complacent Zones

The first assignment we give our International Baccalaureate students before we even meet them is to research a current international issue: find at least 2 editorial/opinion articles about the issue and 2 factual ones from reputable sources; write/create some sort of reflection on the issue (can be creative); write a letter (with the recipient's address) taking a stance on the issue; and present the findings in front of the class on the first day of school.

This is a great assignment. It gets the students thinking outside of their complacent zones. It makes them realize that the world is bigger than week-ends at the malls. It allows them to see people in other countries as people, and not as statistics. You would really and truly think that this assignment - asking people to think about others - would be incredibly beneficial to the student and to the world.

Here's the thing: the students are kids. They complete all of the parameters of the assignment for the grade and somehow do not take ownership of the issue. In fact, several of them this year have begun their presentations with disclaimers that sound something like:

"That thing in Darfur is like a really big deal and all, and like all Americans should like help and stuff, but like I think we should also like focus on our stuff here in America 'cause we can't like just help everyone."

Or they speak in skewed generalities. For example, one person said, "All women in Afghanistan are raped, beaten, and burned and they all want to leave their husbands because all of the men there are in the Taliban. One way they escape this torture is by going to jail where at least they are safe."

Another said, "China is totally ridiculous. They threw homeless people in jail to clean up the city for the Olympics which is like so egotistical and wrong. Communism is horrible."

And another: "Russia attacked poor Georgia because in Russia, under Communism, you don't get to choose what you want to do with your life, so they throw boys into the army. The Russian army has no regard for human life whatsoever, and all they want to do is brutally kill people. But America won't stop them because we are afraid of starting another Cold War."

You should have seen me trying not to interject. I mean my job is to teach, right? But at the same time, I am not supposed to interrupt a presentation - IB rules. I am supposed to respectfully write comments on my grade sheet. And I certainly would not want to embarrass them, especially since I am going to ask them to continue to give presentations confidently, these oral presentations/commentaries counting for 30% of their international diploma assessment - as in their opinions will be considered internationally, graded by folks in places like Cardiff, Rome, Dubai, Hong Kong, Burma, etc. I do write comments such as "biased opinion - check your facts" or "conjecture - be careful about guessing" or "where is your evidence?" Unfortunately, my comments don't unravel the knot in my stomach. Are most of us (Americans) so incredibly blind to the truths of our world?

Interestingly enough, this year's presentations are FAR better than the ones I listened to two years ago when the students all researched "the problem with Iraq" or "Israel v. Palestine." For both of these topics, students two years ago were pretty much in favor of Shock and Awe, and I could see in their eyes American fighter jets doing fly-bys - red, white and blue smoke ribbons dancing across the sky. Ick. At least these days, the students don't automatically assume that American politics are right, though I did have a student this year talk about the right way to "build a border wall to keep those people out." (sigh)

A lot of what I hear is parent opinion. And yes, I am aware that these 16-year-olds are doing well to at least listen to the conversations going on in their homes. But it turns out that I disagree with most of what I'm hearing. Maybe it's because I live in a place where the older generation especially is uncomfortable with change. Many are more comfortable with a militaristic America- an us v. them, a "patriotism before globalism" situation. I get that, I guess. And I can see it in our politics.

In the past we were pretty far removed from the rest of the world. We were more family oriented and we knew our neighbors. We knew what we believed as far as religion was concerned, and any deviation from that comfortable space was simply termed "sin". We didn't know about other countries or religions, other than what was in the local paper or in the National Geographic magzines under our coffee tables. Being patriotic was easier. We knew what "American" looked like.

Things are different today. We interact with people on various continents through technology. We are free to practice just about any kind of religion we want. Different is the new norm. Some of this is great - I adore my friends across the ocean. I love being able to Google information about other people or read their blogs. I feel connected to the world in this respect. I have a better idea about my own spirituality. I am self-sufficient and educated. Some of this is sad - Family time is practically nonexistent or seems very forced as a result of our incredibly fast paced American lifestyle. We no longer speak to our neighbors over the backyard fence. I only know one of my neighbors by his first name. My family is pretty far removed, or rather I am from them. I don't go to church because my religious ideology can't be defined so definitely. Our communities are somewhat more neglected.

But it is what it is. And because of globalisation, there is a greater responsibility for all of us to seek credible information about others and work harder on our relationships, whether they be local or global. We have to be more intentional about creating community - which we can do in our physical neighborhoods, as well as in our virtual ones. Our kids need to be aware of this new burden, and as thier teacher, I feel a heavy responsibility to teach it to them.

What I'm seeing in my classroom and, I suppose, in my country is some floundering in an in-between space. We are just learning how to decipher the good information (on the web especially) from the shit and how to form an eduacted opinion about what we've learned. We are trying to redefine our relationships with local communities while working at really seeing the rest of the world. We know what phrases or taglines to use in our language, but we are just starting to investigate whether or not they are valid. This is a process. We are dealing with an identity change, and because of globalisation we are having to adapt more quickly than is comfortable, hence the polar opposite messages of our presidential candidates. I personally feel like I'm sprinting - trying to keep up. This makes me uncomfortable. But at the same time, I feel exhilarated.

Return of the Salon

When was the last time you had a genuine conversation--an experience not of mere self-assertion but of speaking and listening as though you had something both to offer and to receive? Our habits of language define us, but the pace of our lives is such that the simple gestures of listening carefully and speaking prudently are amazingly rare. The Friday Night Salon aims at being an alternative to the urban rush that denies the civilizing graces of community. We begin with good food and drink, then take our places in a circle for discussion about a variety of relevant, substantial topics. It's a welcome way to end the Dallas workweek.

Discussion topics for September 5, 2008:
1. Does civilization diminish a people's courage over time?
2. Has globalism altered our obligations to the stranger?
3. G. Washington's farewell warning against "the mischiefs of foreign intrigue": political naïveté or visionary counsel?

To those who think failure is not an option, take this!

17 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

I love how they clarify "failure" in parenthesis after "very poor," in case you think "very poor" means "totally awesome". Apparently, as a traditional wife, I am a complete and total failure. And according to the test, I am one dangling bra strap away from standing over my trailer park hot plate, the mac and cheese burning; a cigarette dangling from my toothless mouth; the screaming bastard children in their tatty rags playing with matches on the flea infested rug.

Sorry boys, I'm taken..

(Thanks, I think, to Chelle for the link.)