Category: school
05/08/07 07:38 - 71ºF - ID#39205
I'm having a hard time letting go
My kids school is doing an operetta, school play thingy. There is a district wide organization which helps with arts stuff in the Buffalo schools and they are overseeing this little production. I knew my daughter got involved which was great, but Number One Son tried out. He just turned 9. He and a friend went down to the "auditions." Each was sent to a group of older kids, 11 to 13 years in age. That can be intimidating in and of itself. The advisor who apparently thinks he is at fucking Julliard looked at my son and simply commanded "NEXT", giving him no instruction, no direction, just placed him on the stop. My poor boy got nervous and sort of collapsed into himself and started to cry, given that he was surrounded by no support at all which made that feeling even worse. The older kids mocked that, until my darling daughter appeared and threatened beatings all around. Lovely girl, she is capable of some intense mood swings, but upon hearing of this lioness like response, I immediately upped her allowance.
My son held it together until he got back to class until he got to his teacher and had a good cry. I'm angry because it took a little bit for all of this to get to me, but I also want to slap the shit out of the play director. If the fuckstick doesn't want to help and encourage young kids who have a genuine interest, then what the fuck is he doing working for schools. This jackass set my son and apparently 4 or 5 others kids up to fail simply because he couldn't be bothered to give a shit.
The inherent beauty of all of this is that at a school function from a couple of posts ago this weekend, I was, er, able to voice my displeasure to the school principal who had the miscreant in her office.
I believe I told her something about what kind "of a shell of a man browbeats 8 and 9 year olds for the sake of a school play."
Godfuckingdammit
Permalink: I_m_having_a_hard_time_letting_go.html
Words: 381
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: random
05/06/07 07:08 - 58ºF - ID#39181
Rebooted modems & other battle scars
Just about everything about it blew. Peeps, if your net connection got fubar'ed last weekend into this week, lemme know. I figured out how to give credit rather quickly (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
Wednesday I headed out to one of the call centers to pitch in with some troubleshooting on the billing system. During the lunch break, I broke bread with some of the folks who work me in Buffalo and we told some war stories of what customers were telling us. The center's manager heard one line from the conversation and immediately thought I was slamming her call center and ran to tell the dude I interviewed with for a job late the week before. What the hell?? Not only was that a little junior high for my tastes, but does the allegedly professional women have such an opinion of me that I am stupid enough to insult an operation while I'm in the middle of that operation. The fact that she said nothing to me left a sour taste in my mouth. If the smell of superstition is going to be stinking up the place, I'm wondering if I should really head over to the new spot.
In my current stead, there is a chance my office might be relocating to the confines of West Seneca in just remote enough to make me underwhelmed at the prospect of going. But alas.
Short vacation coming up, taking the eldest to NYC for her birthday in June. In 11 days, we head off for a long weekend of savoring Manhattan. It's been a little over 1 1/2 years since I've last been and can't' wait.
My younger sister is taking my daughter to see the Color Purple while we are there. She announced that she (the sister) is getting married at a place near WestPoint called the Garrison in October. Never did a solid drive like that on my own before, but first time for everything.
And how was your week?
Permalink: Rebooted_modems_amp_other_battle_scars.html
Words: 494
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: photography
05/06/07 05:12 - 58ºF - ID#39180
The Maypole and Me
The peak of the maypole
Great day to savor the spring weather
Permalink: The_Maypole_and_Me.html
Words: 60
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: internet
04/29/07 08:35 - 48ºF - ID#39091
Roadrunner Redux
It's not an outtage. It's the formal untangling of Adelphia and the restitching of Roadrunner. Sit tight, engineering types should be through messing with us soon. Watch the mail, the shift from adelphia.net to roadrunner.com is up for this week too
Back to your regularly scheduled estrip
Permalink: Roadrunner_Redux.html
Words: 56
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: work
04/28/07 01:50 - 43ºF - ID#39074
Alright, who beat me up
Four straight twelve hour days have feeling like the loser in a bar fight. We've been short staffed and the solution seems to be to have me fill in. At 43, I'm not too old for much, but apparently I pay for it the next day. All the final pushing to get shake off the Adelphia and implement the Time Warner (especially all the Road Runner Technical goodies) are getting implimented over the past few days and should finish by the middle of next week. This is a good thing because my supervisor's supervisor is about to explode. Given her turtle like physique & demeanor, that will not be a pretty thing. The result of the changes has had me tossing modems and dvrs every which way. When my muscles stop aching they might be in a little better shape. But what price. I've picked up work tomorrow just early enough to wreck any chance of roller derby tonight and in at 7 on monday (we need your computer skills...bitch, please). They need me to be better caffienated at that hour. Can office coffee successfully run through an IV? I may just find out.
Interviewed for a slighty different position within the company that has my interest. I must have put on a good show since they already called my direct boss. Might be kind of nice to head to the waterfront provided the pay is right.
Anybody up for a matinee on a rainy day? Popcorn for lunch seems like a good thing
Permalink: Alright_who_beat_me_up.html
Words: 273
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: sports, sorta
04/23/07 06:43 - 68ºF - ID#39018
Me and Stanley
Permalink: Me_and_Stanley.html
Words: 79
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: ohoto
04/22/07 11:16 - 59ºF - ID#39010
Sunday in the Park without George
Iceburgs were migrating south for the summer.
I'll never be a postcard photog
And then again, maybe
Where do the wealthy store their boats until May 1st when the marina opens up anyway?
Saw ducks and seagulls making like the Jets and the Sharks over what food there was in the water. Interesting to watch until somebody did something then the whole scrum headed further out into the water.
Having created the illusion of exercise and free air, I repaired to Spot to put a proper end to the day.
Permalink: Sunday_in_the_Park_without_George.html
Words: 135
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: potpourri
04/19/07 10:54 - 54ºF - ID#38966
Bluetooth jackoffs and other oddities
I set a guy up with internet service without him actually speaking to me. I wandered to the front of the Buffalo Time Warner building the other day and there were no less than four people carrying on intense conversations with people who were not there. Happens all the time on Allen Street, except the people doing the talking there really have blue teeth, if you know what I'm sayin. I mentioned this to my supervisor and we agreed that if we could set em all down, you'd have a helluva round table, prepared to castigate the mayor, tell the Islanders to quit whining that it was a goal and many other issues.
I couldn't resist. As each person got to the counter, none of them got off the phone. Each clerk had to wait for lapses in the conversations or episodes to transact business.
Oy, in other news, I got invited to a short party at Pearl St Brewery tomorrow at the start of the Sabres game, get to have my picture taken with the Stanley Cup. The fact that this is exciting is a tad worrisome to me, but what the hey.
Beta testing for digital phone means I'll have a home phone in the next couple of weeks. TW is going to make a full launch in June. As soon as the prices are determined, I'll say something. Anybody with an adelphia.net email is going to complete the Road Runner change soon.
Lastly, how about that thursday??!?? I only got a little sun at the end of the day, but damn going from Lancaster where I was working to Wegmans on Amherst for foodstuffs was the most fun I had all week. Window down, Ipod cranking some decent driving music, hell, I was giddy just walking to the car.
My firefox weather add on says 68 and Sun tomorrow. People will be hugging spontanously in the streets. Could almost smell (e:joshua)'s grill firing up, as I got closer to down town turned out it was just Cocoa Puff Day at the Cheerios plant.
My Dad stopped by the office to leave me some souvenirs of him and Mom stocking up on Canadian pharmiceuticals. A case of Sleeman's Draught - damn fine beer, yet another reason to believe that the best liquor store around is still the Ft. Erie Duty Free.
Dad needs to stop by work more often.
Permalink: Bluetooth_jackoffs_and_other_oddities.html
Words: 575
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: potpourri
04/17/07 09:19 - 38ºF - ID#38924
Mr. State Trooper
Made my morning and we're just getting started.
Hopefully an omen for the day.
Permalink: Mr_State_Trooper.html
Words: 141
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: feh
04/15/07 01:35 - 33ºF - ID#38902
Another self-pitying personal post
Lot of death lately. A couple of peripheral people in my life are gone or feeling the effects of losing somebody close to them. That combined with my recent posting about the passing of my former Anderson Place neighbor has me feeling, well a little morbid. My now former dad-in-law is in week 3 of chemo. His potential mortality has me thinking. It makes me want to pull over on my way to work and kick the folks smoking under the Roswell No smoking banner in the shins.
This has hit my ex even harder. I'm doing my best to help, but I'm coming to the fact that I signed my lease to leave the house formerly known as mine 3 years ago today. In the six months that immediately followed, I got to deal with the useless response from family members, at one point, she told me that she "wanted the family of her, our kids, and her partner" to find their way with the initial holiday season. Given that I didn't stray, that I took crappy jobs at night to support her and be there for the kids, I was dumbfounded. Point of that anecdote, other than to gloat that the partner is no longer in the picture I guess is to illustrate that despite being generally cool with each other, I resent the circumstances that brought us to this point. I think I'm pretty much over it all, but occasionally something can stir and piss you off all over again. I thought it would be best and easiest that I move (and it was), but it sort of felt like that me guilty in some way. I've struggled at times to remain Dad and buy into the logic that we were just broadening the sphere of people who care for the kids. I mentioned to my eldest that I didn't think a certain person held much regard for me. She, being an enlightened child, replied that I shouldn't sweat it, the certain person is like that with everybody.
Alas, it has made me wonder if I disappeared who'd notice, but when you think hope is evaporating, conversations can reveal a lot. We cleared the "table" of a lot, how things progressed too fast at the house after I left, steps we take together for the kids, etc.
I'm not quite sure where I'm headed with this. Figured getting it down would be better than having these things rattle around in my head. The first bad divorce realtionship send me an email the other day to say hi and I guess that triggered the flipping pages of my mental rolodex.
So, I'm trying to help and be a stand guy and help her when her transitional lesbian relationship takes up with a mutual friend, both of whom insist it's not a relationship from next door to the kids. They are pissed off at me because my kids know them both well, so I made them come clean to kids.
I'm such an asshole.
end of pity
Permalink: Another_self_pitying_personal_post.html
Words: 511
Location: Buffalo, NY
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I'm a music teacher who went to a high school where I sang for a teacher who couldn't carry a tune, was only interested in people who belted showtunes and who didn't even bother to dress up for concerts, field trips, nothing. I wasn't even cast in the musical my senior year of high school at first.
Somehow from that I turned out to be a good singer and a good teacher (one of the only ones from the school in recent history, and we're not talking about a small district). I didn't let my awful experience turn me off of music completely, but it makes me wonder how many more potential music teachers or professional singers there were at my school that just didn't get any recognition or opportunity to discover it about themselves.
It makes me so mad to see stories like yours. I don't care who the kid is, if he or she is interested in singing, they deserve a chance, ESPECIALLY because he's a boy! Not that girls are not valuable to music programs but it's obviously more difficult to find guys who are interested. I feel so badly for your son! And I want to find out who this person and organization is, and smack them around a little.
There are sooooooo many bad teachers in the world it hurts me. It is so unfair for children to go through a music program with someone who is just using it as a chance to earn some money before "hitting it big", because very often, those people are selfish and think there is only one good way to sing and only one kind of person that should even try doing it.
I hope that your son isn't permanently afraid of or resentful towards music because of this jerk. I know it's entirely possible, and I only hope that it isn't true in this case. Sing in the car! Sing at church if you do that sort of thing! I've met too many kids already who are afraid to open their mouths and sing because someone told them once that they were bad and to stop. That should never happen to anyone, especially a little guy like yours :(
Honestly, people like that should never be allowed to work with children. Stuff like that has the potential to scar someone for life.
I was very happy to read of your daughter's response though. Sounds to me like you've taught your children well.
Feel better in knowing that he is in a proffesion that he hates, loathes. Every night he looks into the mirror half shaved and cries a little. Wondering how life would have been different if only he could sing a little better, if his dancing wasn't so off, if he had a little more stage presence.
He hates his life, and he sees it draing away from him with the shaving cream and bristles in his sink every morning.