Californiaman

Certainly not. But there are forces at work now who would scrub our past of anything that violates their woke dogma. Like the recent brewhaha about the famous photo of George Mendonsa and Greta Friedman. You know the sailor kissing a girl on the streets of New York City. Some VA administrator wanted to remove this from every VA in the USA. Wanker's probably never had a real kiss in her life, let alone a romp in the backseat of her boyfriend's car. This photo certainly didn't bother Greta Friedman and she's publicly stated so. In fact, both Mendonsa and Friedman would show up at patriotic events and sign copies of the photo.

The stories I could tell you. Where do I begin? Having been a teacher, both pre and post COVID-19, the stories I could tell you are shocking. However, because this is supposed to be a post on positive outcomes, I will not talk about the failure of administrators at both the district and site levels who have been reading, "Don't Suspend Me," by Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan and John E. Hannigan. Or another popular concept making its way around school districts where students are given a 50% for not turning in assignments instead of giving them a zero, "The Case Against Zero," Douglas Reeves, who I have met and argued with. I will not bash my fellow educators who are being forced to teach things that go against their core beliefs. DEI and Critical Racism which both seek to establish equality through equal outcomes (Marxism), or who get confused because Johnny wants to be known as Karen (and you better get the pronouns right because if you make a mistake and don't there are consequences), or Susie wants to wear her furry cat outfit to school and needs a litter box put in the restroom to relieve herself. No, I will not talk about the assaults on teachers by students who lack basic morality to even know right from wrong. Or the battle with cellphones and watching movies, or tick-tock, or pornhub on their school supplied laptops instead of doing their assignments. School's allow LGBTQ+ but won't allow Campus Crusade for Christ on their campus or Jewish Clubs, but a club that espouses the wonders of Islam is OK. And then there's the violence and drugs. Fighting in the classroom. Attacking teachers. Threatening them. Physically assaulting teachers. Multi-generational gang affiliations, drug dealing, overdoses, and on it goes. My security officers literally have confiscated machetes, knives, fentanyl, pot and 1/4 sticks of dynamite out of student's back packs. Kids being removed from class because of smoking pot in the bathroom (there are sensitive smoke sensors in every bathroom at most schools) and cameras monitoring who comes and goes. If you think it's just the boys being boys, no the girls are as whacked out as the guys are. I had one young lady, suspended twice for fighting, released back into the general population, and ultimately expelled because she went over to a rival high school, dressed in their p.e. uniform (all schools typically have physical education uniforms in school colors), found a girl she was having a beef with in the "hood" and proceeded to beat the crap out of her. It took four adults to pull her off her victim. Still others literally showing me videos of the violence in there neighborhoods. "Here Mr. C. Look at me beating up Venessa. This is my aunty beating up her mom." It's crazy. And still there are those teachers who have a political, cultural, or an anti-societal axe to grind, as they seek to indoctrinate students into their cultural woke, marxist revolutions or their "Climate Change" agenda. Where the English department requires students to right a comprehensive essay on climate change and what we can do to stop it despite the evidence against it that the students never are introduced to. Teachers proudly proclaiming to their class, "No one should ever have a reason to own a gun." What? Are you kidding me? He actually said that. Phone calls from the parents to the administration go un answered. I literally replaced a teacher who was a child sex predator on two separate occasions at two different schools. One, proudly flew his rainbow flag in his classroom. "He was so cool," the kids said. Students should not be your friends. And then there's the parents. They literally advocate for cheating. The removal of teachers. Some mothers where there are no fathers in the house are afraid of their own boys who threaten and abuse the mothers. I've seen it. Mothers who won't file police reports to put a violent kid in jail who refuses to go to school or do anything when he is there. Mothers and fathers who won't show up for scheduled meetings with administrators, counselors, and teachers because their daughter has racked up fifty absences in the semester because she's at her boyfriend's house hanging with him. You know what they're really doing. It doesn't stop. The main reason teachers are leaving the profession is the administrators unwillingness to support the educator. There literally is no more discipline. In one local school district they had five new teachers walk out on the first day of school because they had no clue how bad it was. Teachers were retiring at an alarming rate in the middle of the semester. The union was aghast and tried everything to fill the positions to help out. And then there's the unions and their agenda. If you only knew. But I love teaching and seeing students become life-long learners. Students who go on and make something productive out of their lives. When it goes right and it's does more times than not, it's a rewarding experience. Especially years later when a former student says thank you. You had an impact on me.

Idaho is the same way. Although, before I do something like that, I'm wanting hours and hours of practice on the range. That was actually something I enjoyed doing when I lived there. Jaxson50, he was a member here, he and I went. I had a great time shooting a .357 Smith&Wesson and a Glock 20, 10 mm. But I wouldn't carry openly without more practice and a feeling of utter confidence that I knew what I was doing.

I agree with you on concerts being a great way to blow off steam. The arena shows, outdoor venues, and stadium shows were great for that, especially in the OC and LA area. Being that I'm a little older now it's the more intimate shows that I prefer. Thinking about Richie Kotzen May 17 in Agoura Hills. I like places like San Juan Capistrano's Coach House, The Canyon in AH or the Celebrity Theater in Anaheim. It's worth the travel when you get great seats. I think the last big show I went to was way back in the mid '90s. That's when I was an A&E writer for a newspaper in OC. Might have been the KROQ Weenie Roast and before that Lalapalooza, both at Irvine Meadows. Still, some of the stadium shows at the LA Coliseum were epic. U2 and The Who were two great shows. Some of the all-day shows back then, where multiple bands took the stage well into the night were so memorable. One in particular featured, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet, Black Sabbath (Dio) and Journey wrapped it up. I remember rolling into the Coliseum parking lot around 8:00 in the morning. We then proceeded to go looking for beer. All we could find at the local liquor store was Malt Liquor. Yikes! That was day to remember. Talk about blowing off some steam.

Yes, I agree.

Yeah, not funny anymore. Although it does have it's moments. It's become a reflection of the woke world, a dark shadow that has crept across our land. I did recently watch a Youtube collage of the late Norm MacDonald's Nightly News skits especially during the OJ Simpson trial. Now that stuff was brutal social commentary on the trial and Simpson.

I took a mythology course once. The professor wanted us all to choose a mythological figure who we would be called by in the class. Since Californiaman is close to the beginning of the alphabet I hoped nobody would take the name I was hoping for. When he called my name I was stoked I got to pick the name I wanted. I told him and the rest of the class, "Ulysses". His reply was, "Clever choice." Ulysses, is the Roman name for the Greek mythological character, Odysseus, one of the cleverest characters of the ancient world. We were told that when he takes roll for the next time we meet that we needed to quote our character in some meaningful way that relates to our character. The next time we met, I was ready when he called my name. I couldn't wait because it was such a classic quote. "How my naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing." That lit him up. "Oh yes! Cream. Of course. Very Clever."

I'm really liking putting a quality pedalboard together. Most of the front end stuff on my board is going to Fulltone products. Here's a photo from NAMM this year. Brad Jackson from Jackson Audio has taken over the build process for Mike Fuller. Jackson Audio builds some quality pedals too. Brad Jackson, Californian, and Mike Fuller

Duane, I've had several students who were able to graduate at the end of their junior year. I think the best was one of my juniors was so caught up in the gang life that he was on the verge of falling headlong into that lifestyle. After working with him consistently and after days of encouragement he started to move away from the gangs and the street life. He became the first person in his family to graduate high school. He enrolled in the local jr. college and is now an auto mechanic. Sometimes a little encouragement and persistence pays off. So my question to you is, did you stick around for your senior year? Or did you graduate early?

So... one of my economic students a few years ago was actually told by another teacher that he would "never amount to anything". This was the brightest student in my class. He aced the class and the final. It also turns out he Navy wanted him to be a nuclear engineer in the submarine fleet. He signed on as a sonar tech. Anyway, that's it. Not someone told me, but what one of my best students endured.

Yes it is.

Oh yeah, classic SNL.

Buy the other and hang on to the traditional. It might grow on you.

LiMu. I'm surprised at you. You dirty bird!

I love the dark humor in this skit.