tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41104242011-09-12T04:25:35.766-07:00There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans more --Bob DylanHammHawknoreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153778057167583062006-07-24T14:53:00.000-07:002006-07-24T14:55:03.586-07:00

I'm in the process of shifting my blog to WordPress, so if anyone actually reads this, please update your bookmark to http://hammhawk.wordpress.com/Cheers.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153510675553277742006-07-21T11:43:00.000-07:002006-07-21T12:37:55.673-07:00

I'm trained as a psychologist, but one thing that I find hard to ascertain in people is whether they're as conceited as they come across, or merely trying to mask their own insecurities.I've come to the conclusion that W is really just a pompous prick. I've suspected as much most of the time and occasionally when he says or does something obnoxious, usually when he thinks it's a joke, and he

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153408524714271682006-07-20T07:43:00.000-07:002006-07-20T08:15:27.280-07:00

The first letter to the editor I remember writing was about Bush I (my first vote was for Dukakis). I took exception to his claim of being the "education president" and the "environment president" despite not doing anything for either cause. As a harbinger of sons to come, he popularized the notion that you could claim something and therefore make it so. That pissed me off.Now W has never

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153406583120260322006-07-20T07:36:00.000-07:002006-07-20T07:43:03.133-07:00

This is the first time that W (does anyone else have trouble writing "President Bush" comfortably?) will address the NAACP. He also just yesterday issued his first veto in 5 1/2 years. I doubt these events have anything to do with one another, but they're both head-shakingly symbolic. First the NAACP. Clearly, the Uniter has been nothing of the sort, and it's taken some pride swallowing from

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153255146057557772006-07-18T13:26:00.000-07:002006-07-20T09:47:01.453-07:00

I don't profess to know what happened at hospitals in the chaos following Hurricane Katrina, but I am pretty pissed that a doctor and 2 nurses who showed incredible grit and compassion have now been arrested on charges of murder.We've heard from reasonable sources of doctors basically risking their own lives for other people, putting themselves on IV fluids to keep working, and fending off their

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1153149159884109912006-07-17T08:07:00.000-07:002006-07-18T08:23:48.743-07:00

Here's another letter to the editor that apparently won't be published:[update, 18 July 06--Was published this morning, unedited, above the fold!] Like many other people, I was alarmed by Slidell Sheriff Strain said that anyone in St. Tammany with dreadlocks or “chee wee” hairstyles should expect a visit from his deputies. I asked friends

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1152723466346027892006-07-12T09:46:00.000-07:002006-07-12T09:57:46.380-07:00

Well, Slim died 2 weeks ago, so I guess I can swing a post-intense-grieving period post. It was interesting (not fun-interesting, just huh-interesting) to monitor my grief, since that doesn't happen often, and since I didn't really know how I'd respond. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't know if I'd immediately feel ok since it was his time, or what.The first day was awful. I was a wreck.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1151532060174640992006-06-28T14:34:00.000-07:002006-06-28T18:11:26.633-07:00

Below, Slim on his first day with us, September 1993. Right, Slim's last photo session, June 2oo6.Today is one of the saddest days I've ever had. We put to sleep our beloved friend Slim, who had been with us almost 13 years. My students were in kindergarten when he was born.I posted on him a while back, but I wasn't even as ready as I thought I'd be for his loss. He was such a good friend and

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1151342333639538402006-06-26T10:11:00.000-07:002006-06-26T10:18:53.653-07:00

Had a pretty unusual weekend, with E gone. Friday I laid low because I had the Katrina university benefit 5k on Sat am. Made it through in about 28 min, which wasn't bad for me. I'm hoping to run regularly enough to pick up the pace, but I'm just glad I actually did it. Good turnout from Xavier as well as the other schools; much bigger than they anticipated.Then I decided to bike to the car,

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1150730884150294982006-06-19T08:21:00.000-07:002006-06-19T08:28:04.166-07:00

I happen to be one of the firmly pro-choice people who understands and sympathizes with the position of pro-lifers, and who believes that the two sides are closer to each other than they realize. Some true dialog could go a long way.But this is a mistake for several reasons. One obvious one is that we need to make sure that people born are truly wanted (see my post on Kids). Especially in

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1150424873129869052006-06-15T19:15:00.000-07:002006-06-16T08:32:29.566-07:00

I'm not sure I've ever posted about E's & my "Childless by Choice" (or Child"free," as one of her colleagues puts it) existence, before, but it's something I feel strongly about.Not that I feel that everyone should be child-free, or even that I'm positive we should, but I certainly think it's something that everyone should consider. The bottom line is that kids shouldn't be the default; they

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1150424130295159392006-06-15T19:13:00.000-07:002006-06-15T19:15:30.306-07:00

I just checked the hurricane maps, and nothing's brewing so far, so we're about 7.7% done with hurricane season and are still standing. Does G-d favor us, or is it just too early? Hmmm...

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1150399464940624612006-06-15T12:21:00.000-07:002006-06-15T12:24:24.956-07:00

Here's the text of a letter I wrote to the paper today. Of course they won't publish it.Senator Vitter had me, then he lost me. As a “liberal” (he used the term 4 times in his diatribe against Stephanie Grace), I didn’t vote for him. Still, I’ve admitted to fellow liberal friends that I’ve been impressed with his work for the state following Katrina. In fact, I’ve sometimes wondered whether

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1150301124807687742006-06-14T08:59:00.000-07:002006-06-14T09:05:24.820-07:00

I'm not a complete pacifist, but I'd like to be. I like the idea of being completely arms-free, but there are too many questions I can't answer and situations that have no other solution that I can see. That said, I think W takes it all waaaay too lightly. Now, we just killed Al Zarqawi. I guess that's good, since he was a dangerous man, but from what I've been reading, he was dangerous

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1149823427840858272006-06-08T20:23:00.000-07:002006-06-08T20:23:47.850-07:00

Hurricane season weeks, that is. So far, so good. Unfortunately, we never have hurricanes in June. Alas.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1149732187135175792006-06-07T19:01:00.000-07:002006-06-07T19:03:07.153-07:00

Maybe it's the bourbon (tonight it's Woodford Reserve), but I just gotta shout out to AmericaBlog tonight. You gotta love this exchange.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1149731036430354792006-06-07T18:26:00.000-07:002006-06-07T18:44:34.476-07:00

I don't mean our Liberal Media, as in what the Right (wrong) thinks of as the Liberal Media; I mean the media that truly tries to be liberal. There ain't much there, but AirAmerica tries. Problem is, I can't take it. I've tried listening, but at the risk of being smug, I don't think liberalism lends itself to political radio. Rush et al. succeed because their points are simple and dichotomous

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1149700030419552812006-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:002006-06-07T10:07:10.433-07:00

I'm 100% in favor of gay marriage, and I'm 100% in favor of a cockfighting ban. There are people who feel 100% against both of those issues. They've been topical lately because people on both sides have pointed out that these may not be the most pressing issues facing us today, gay marriage on a national level, and cockfighting locally. I agree, but it's still tough to forget about the issues

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1149018789817189262006-05-30T12:25:00.000-07:002006-05-30T12:53:09.883-07:00

I've had a lot of trouble with the Law over the last few months. E and I each got speeding tickets from heartless LA cops in the days immediately following the evacuation (E's got dropped thanks to some fancy cronyism working in her favor, and they rejected my payment because it wasn't a cashier's check; I recently got a "final notice" about that. Pricks). Then we got busted (see "Busted" post

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1148342533084762052006-05-22T16:50:00.000-07:002006-05-23T11:58:53.930-07:00

Well, I went 2-for-4 in my voting, although I wasn't too bummed about the two I lost.Losers: The biggie was that I voted for Mitch Landrieu over Ray Nagin. Unlike some of my friends, I wasn't angry that Nagin won, and I had some ambivalence about voting against him. I think he's a good guy, and he has been a refreshing change from the corruption to which we'd become all too accustomed (and

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1147882040463732992006-05-17T09:01:00.000-07:002006-05-17T09:08:14.170-07:00

Well, I've never been a fan of Chris Matthews, but I haven't hated him as much as many of my blog fixes do. Now, I'm with them.Last night, another mayoral debate was televised nationally and "moderated" by him and Norman Robinson. According to the T-P coverage (I didn't watch because I can't stomach those things most of the time), it was basically the Chris Matthews show focused on NOLA so that

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1146675533830945342006-05-03T09:04:00.000-07:002006-05-03T09:58:53.843-07:00

"Feels so good, feeling good again."--Robert Earl KeenThat's how it feels to have an incredibly successful JazzFest weekend under our belts, not to mention the drafting of Reggie Bush to the Saints.First, Bush. Everyone knows he's phenomenal, and the Texans seem to have given us a real gift by passing on him with the first pick. At first, I thought we shouldn't take him because we have such a

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1145588447116175922006-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:002006-04-20T20:00:47.126-07:00

So last weekend we went to visit E's stepdad in Birmingham, and along the way, E is driving 78 in a 70 and gets pulled over. Now we've just gotten our hot Matrix out of the shop after the big crashup, and she's not exactly flying. But the cop pulls us over, saunters up to the side and says he's from the Hattiesburg PD and pulled us over because we were speeding. Well, here's the deal. We still

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1144334752619185502006-04-06T07:24:00.000-07:002006-04-06T07:45:52.633-07:00

On the mixed-feelings front (which I guess refers to most politics), we haven't heard much from Kimberly Williamson Butler lately. Although I enjoy ridiculousness as much as anyone, we don't need that kind of publicity these days, so that's a good thing.For mayor, I'm torn so far. I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't hate Nagin. I voted for him in the primary and runoff last time, and

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1143233550225338722006-03-24T12:51:00.000-08:002006-03-24T12:52:30.233-08:00

Denali Sniffs a Pea

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1143233223479555852006-03-24T12:44:00.000-08:002006-03-24T12:47:03.480-08:00

My, how far "Bar" has fallen since she was the country's gramma! Now she's made an allegedly generous donation for Katrina relief, but under the stipulation that computers be purchased from her son Neil's company. What a bitch. It's one thing to try to support your son, but what the hell? The guy doesn't have enough connections to make it on his own? She's been so generous to the region that

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1143232965062682912006-03-24T12:34:00.000-08:002006-03-24T12:42:45.073-08:00

Well, about a week and a half ago, someone (drunk, I expect) slammed into our car in the middle of the night, causing extensive damage. We've never had a car worth getting body work done on, so we didn't really know what to do. But we filed a police report and got our insurance involved right away. The cop really acted like we were wasting his time, but the insurance company asked us right

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1141944083555412102006-03-09T14:41:00.000-08:002006-03-09T14:41:23.566-08:00

Got it. Most glad.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1141828942674886772006-03-08T06:24:00.000-08:002006-03-08T06:42:22.693-08:00

Things are getting interesting. Most notable is that Kimberly Williamson Butler, our city's former CAO (quit/fired because she's a "strong Christian woman"), turned abysmal clerk of court (hasn't filed insurance claims; couldn't get voting booths here, despite the fact that it's her main job), went into hiding after being wanted for contempt of court after she wouldn't turn over her office to

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1141827832285151282006-03-08T06:09:00.000-08:002006-03-08T06:23:52.300-08:00

I'm pumped to have just ordered a new bicycle. My friend Michael encouraged me to look into cyclo cross for a road bike that could handle the bad roads of NOLA. So I bought a Motobecane from a woman who deals on ebay and has excellent prices. Can't wait. I'll be joining Michael and a couple other friends next month for a tour of Oregon wineries. Last year's bourbon tour in Kentucky was

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1141321878831737192006-03-02T09:47:00.000-08:002006-03-02T09:51:18.840-08:00

I was one of the most eager critics of Michael Brown in the wake of Katrina. Now, Brownie ain't looking so bad after all. He's still inept and unqualified for his former post, but we now have video to prove that Bush was the real source of all the failures that killed so many people. Of course, this stuff is always supposed to go to the prez (where the buck supposedly stops and all), but it

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1140634082111193302006-02-22T10:40:00.000-08:002006-02-22T10:48:02.120-08:00

When Bush first "won" in 2000, after I recovered from the stun, I took the perspective that he'd just be a benign idiot. But that was when we were still in the peaceful and prosperous glow of Clinton's terms. We know how all that turned out.This deal with the UAE company to run a port is perplexing. Frankly, I don't buy into the xenophobic stereotyping to think that everything the UAE does is

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1140622953540926222006-02-22T07:34:00.000-08:002006-02-22T07:42:33.583-08:00

Just in the last couple weeks, I've established contact with Jeff, a guy who was probably my best friend in the mid-late-elementary years. He moved to another school, and then I moved to Tulsa, and we haven't had any contact until this month, when he sent me an email via classmates.com. I'm not totally keen on those kinds of things, but it's been a kick to hear about this guy for the first time

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139970377040401732006-02-14T18:16:00.000-08:002006-02-22T10:49:18.366-08:00

So, the VP shot his friend in the face, neck & torso. An accident, to be sure. No one is contending malice (would the same be said of someone different?). I'm not suggesting that there was intent here, but why would this not be "involuntary manslaughter" or something like that (I guess manslaughter might mean the guy died, which isn't out of the question, now that he's had a heart attack

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139519274217299902006-02-09T12:58:00.000-08:002006-02-09T13:07:54.226-08:00

So buildings are being torched and people are being killed because of some offensive cartoons? Hmm. I don't mean to be all "they hate us for our freedoms" or anything, but WTF? I can certainly understand being offended by people violating your religious laws, and I can understand the need to express that through just about any means, but why would one get violent over it? I imagine there's

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139315780088020522006-02-07T04:30:00.000-08:002006-02-07T04:36:20.090-08:00

Nice article here on Slate about the intellectualism of Penn Jillette. I've long loved Penn & Teller, and their promotion of skepticism really fits my worldview and my teaching philosophy, even if I do have faith in some things that they don't. But it's faith, and I think it's ok to have it, as long as you know what it is... and isn't. For example, in BullShit, their genius show, they claim

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139315371016007812006-02-07T04:23:00.000-08:002006-02-07T04:29:31.026-08:00

I don't think it's quite appropriate for people like me to profess to know whether the wiretapping procedures the preznit is defending are legal or not. Although they sound illegal, there are always some nuances that keep me from being able to judge. Sure, I'm inclined against the taps because of who's doing them, but that isn't enough.Still, this article from the NYTimes seems to spell things

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139259454738397192006-02-06T12:46:00.000-08:002006-02-06T12:57:34.750-08:00

The greatest editorial writer in the country (my strongly held opinion before he won the Pulitzer), Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald, wrote an interesting column on the passing of Coretta Scott King. Although I stand by the praises I extended her way (appreciated, I'm sure), I can't counter Pitts' much-more-informed take. He takes his privileged position to criticize some of the more

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139255252573709602006-02-06T11:28:00.000-08:002006-02-06T11:47:32.586-08:00

Don't want to make too much of it, but the Jayhawks aged about 2 years during their game Sunday, as did I. For them it was good, but not for me and my rapidly increasing grayness quotient.After hanging tough for the 1st half or so, OU took momentum into halftime and proceeded to whip our asses through most of the 2nd half. But then the youngsters took over and got the job done. I'm an

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1139254062698669392006-02-06T11:26:00.000-08:002006-02-06T11:27:42.700-08:00

Not sure why the TB4NO post below got re-posted with this date. I posted that several weeks ago, so pay no attention. We'll see what happens with the Saints, but I must say I'm extraordinarily excited to be back in the Dome in September. More Saints posting to come.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138859335443035592006-02-01T21:44:00.000-08:002006-02-01T21:48:55.460-08:00

I've just seen Terry Bradshaw on "the Best Damn Sports Show Period," and I love the guy. This is someone who made the ProBowl easily, but he also offered to bail out my favorite city.Now I'll admit that Benson has won me over lately, but I don't know if he means it. TB is the bomb though, and I'd love to give him my money for my season Saints tix.Cheerio,E

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138819407675110992006-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:002006-02-01T10:43:27.686-08:00

I don't think I've ever read a GAO report before, but this one was worth my time because it addresses federal investigations into the Katrina non-response. I don't know if the GAO would comment on local or state officials, but I find it notable that there is no mention that I've seen here of how the "dysfunction" of Louisiana is to blame in this thing. I'm not a Blanco-loyalist (voted for her

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138803028746747082006-02-01T06:07:00.000-08:002006-02-01T06:10:28.746-08:00

This game Sunday is a big one. KU has a VERY young team, which has been inconsistent to say the least. But they've also shown extended flashes of brilliance and should continue to improve. If only everyone else would stay the same.But we're riding a 4-game winning streak, which would be 13 if we hadn't lost 2 straight close conference matchups. This is a chance to show the country and the

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138802517275989752006-02-01T05:55:00.000-08:002006-02-01T06:01:57.276-08:00

As much respect and appreciation as I have for MLK, I've been pretty ignorant of his wife, Coretta Scott King, who died two nights ago. NPR has done a nice job covering her accomplishments though, so explore the links here.Especially, listen to her speeches. She has a beautiful voice (I thought the same thing after hearing recordings of Rosa Parks after her death just a few months ago), which

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138802088032583492006-02-01T05:48:00.000-08:002006-02-01T05:54:48.043-08:00

Vitter and I agree on almost no political issues. In fact, I probably referred to him as "Nazi" under my breath a time or two when he was running. It's stupid to refer to someone who's not a Nazi as a Nazi, whether it's "FemiNazi" or "Vitter," but I got sucked in. Anyway, the point is, I don't agree with his beliefs.But still, I think he deserves props for how he's gone to bat for Louisiana

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138713607813124882006-01-31T05:17:00.000-08:002006-01-31T05:20:38.696-08:00

Great interview with Stephen Colbert in The Onion's AV Club this week.It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love the president because he's certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up don't seem to exist. It's the fact

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138396416667152272006-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:002006-01-27T13:18:01.776-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/national/nationalspecial/27orleans.html?_r=1I expect these numbers are extreme, but 80% of Black New Orleanians staying away? I'm with the mayor--won't be New Orleans if that happens.Estimates have been wrong about everything so far--time to drain the city, number of deaths, rate of students returning--pretty much in universally pessimistic directions. I hope

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138395419123145462006-01-27T12:56:00.000-08:002006-01-27T12:56:59.123-08:00

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138395361018824612006-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:002006-01-27T12:56:01.026-08:00

Well, I just turned in my tenure packet to the administration. This is my 10th year of tenure-track teaching (6 is usually enough), but I had to start over when I switched schools. Didn't mind, because I came here intending to stay for the long haul, and I think I do the job well enough to warrant keeping me around. No guarantees, though, as we've had a tendency to deny tenure (and especially

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138296391177852332006-01-26T09:24:00.000-08:002006-01-26T09:26:31.193-08:00

I'm not good at getting letters to the editor published. By the time I get around to it, I'm usually too pissed to get my point across clearly and concisely. I expect this one will be no exception, so in case the Times-Picayune doesn't publish me, here's what I wrote today: In case the people of Louisiana needed any more evidence that the federal administration (which handily won the state in

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138123120946078412006-01-24T09:09:00.000-08:002006-01-24T09:18:40.956-08:00

This is slim. He's a wonderful guy and one of my very best friends. He's about 13 1/2 now, and not too long for this world. For the last few months, he's had a urinary tract infection and is on his 3rd round of antibiotics. Yesterday he had an ultrasound to investigate a lump X-rays showed in his gut. We were worried that it might be something serious, and we decided that if it was a simple

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1138048039567644342006-01-23T12:17:00.000-08:002006-01-23T12:27:29.766-08:00

This may be stating the obvious, but Bush obviously cheated off the wrong person when he took Logic.Why do we have all this emphasis on how necessary the wiretaps are? Isn't the question how legal they are? I'll be the first to admit that I can't be positive they're illegal, but I expect they are because a) they sure sound illegal and b) the administration is emphasizing how necessary they

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137769450712886792006-01-20T07:03:00.000-08:002006-01-20T07:18:19.970-08:00

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137706407834156582006-01-19T13:27:00.000-08:002006-01-19T14:00:31.713-08:00

We're almost done with our first week back in the classroom, and I couldn't be more happy with how it's gone, at least as far as the students are concerned. I had visions of breaking down with emotion when walking in and seeing a good crowd in the classroom. I knew that wouldn't happen, but I am generally touched and encouraged by the numbers.Although many students have expressed anxiety about

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137610936295761842006-01-18T10:25:00.000-08:002006-01-18T11:02:16.306-08:00

Well, the mayor stepped in deep cocoa Monday. I just caught it yesterday, but he said that New Orleans will be a "chocolate city" by the end of the day. The right-wingers are jumping on the potential divisiveness of this statement, without realizing the real problems with it and its context. I have several reactions.1) I have no problem with New Orleans being "chocolate," which, to most of us,

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137434547866056962006-01-16T09:53:00.000-08:002006-01-16T10:02:27.866-08:00

Today is the day for us to recognize this great man and what he stood for. I always feel guilty for my lack of participation and tell myself it's ok because I don't do anything for President's Day either. But it's not ok. King was better than pretty much any president we've had, and just because my job is to help African American students advance themselves doesn't mean that's always my

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137433989646353612006-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:002006-01-16T09:53:09.656-08:00

I thought I could share my idea for Oregon's license plate or state marketing campaign or something with this brainstorm, but I Googled it and found that a bunch of things had that title, so I guess I wasn't the first. Dang.Then, we have a suburb near here called LaPlace, which I assume means "the place." So I was thinking of sending them a letter saying they should put it on their "Welcome To.

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137433237028368842006-01-16T09:38:00.000-08:002006-01-16T09:40:37.040-08:00

My brother got me this CD about a year ago, and I can't get enough of it. Was reminded of it while watching The Girl in the Cafe (4 stars) last night with E & MIL (mom-in-law). Cute movie; slightly heavy-handed, but still. Anyway, I'm a sucker for sad-sounding music, and this album is the best. It's my preferred falling-asleep music. Every song is beautiful. Also featured in Closer (3 stars

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137432727182795202006-01-16T09:17:00.000-08:002006-01-16T09:34:37.783-08:00

Yesterday was the day for a fabulous second line through various parts of town. About 17 Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs sponsored, and a bunch of brass bands a relocated folks returned for the show of unity in returning the great city. I was really charged up by the turnout and the mood. Everything seemed great.Then today I read in the paper that right after we left three people were wounded in

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137189091946741432006-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:002006-01-16T09:35:09.720-08:00

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4110424.post-1137185571287774182006-01-13T12:47:00.001-08:002006-01-16T09:35:44.483-08:00

Well, almost two years after I secured this site, the inspiration has boiled inside me long enough that I'm actually going to give it a shot. I realize no one will likely ever read it, but I want the chance to get some things down before I forget who I am and how I feel.As I write this, my beloved New Orleans is about 4 1/2 months post-Katrina. My house was spared the worst, with roof damage

HammHawknoreply@blogger.com0