All right, I’m not going to start one of my rants about all those people who belittle the teaching profession, but after the kind of day I had today, anybody who does not believe how difficult and stressful teaching is should try working in a classroom for a few weeks.

Did anybody notice recently how many signs there have been that the world is headed towards a not-so-bright future? Such as the United Nations’s report on the current state of global warming, and the subsequent predictions of the effects this will have on both coastal flooding and worldwide famine in the next century? That presumes we will survive the current epidemic of terrorism and worldwide warfare which has caused scientists to move the doomsday clock closer to midnight. Sometimes I wonder if we will survive long enough to experience any of those science fiction far-future scenarios at all. It’s real scary.

And there’s my tiny bit of sunshine for this stressful midwinter day. Maybe I’m just getting cabin fever and need to get outside a bit. Or maybe I’m just being realistic for a change...

A bit of sports talk (sorry, rabbit ☺):

I enjoy sports although, as with most things, I prefer reading about it to actually watching it. While I read the sports page in the daily newspaper faithfully, I rarely go to a sporting event or watch a game on tv. The events I enjoyed watching most were my sons’ soccer games and cross-country and track meets. Occasionally I will watch a televised game when I need to grade a test or I have a magazine to read, since then I can ignore 95% of the game and just look up when something exciting happens.

Today I was grading an Honors Algebra 2 test during a Big East basketball game between Rutgers and Seton Hall, and I was somewhat stunned at the game. Not the actual play, but at how blatantly the referees determined who should win the game. I am fairly knowledgeable about college basketball, and I thought the teams fouled about equally, but Rutgers got 41 foul shots while Seton Hall only got 12. Sadly, Rutgers won the game in double-overtime even though they were mostly outplayed the entire game by Seton Hall.

The refs called the game so blatantly one-sided that it bordered on a rigged game. I wonder why a major conference like the Big East–perhaps the major college basketball conference in the country–allows such a thing to happen? Is it because Rutgers was on their home court and trying to break a five-game losing streak, so it was a sympathy rigging? Or maybe because Rutgers is a major public university which had a powerhouse football program this past fall, and we all know that football is more important than just about everything in this sports-crazy country? Whatever the reason, on the heels of Duke winning a game recently because the timekeeper rigged the game clock in their favor, it makes me despair for college basketball as anything better than showtime on the level of professional wrestling.

As for the upcoming Super-Bowl, I follow the local football teams, the Giants and Jets, but once they are eliminated from the playoffs, I lose all interest in the games. I haven’t watched a Super-Bowl willingly since the last Giants victory in 1990, so I will probably sit this one out too. I am pleased New England is not in the Super-Bowl, since I have not forgotten how Bill Belichick cheated the Jets by walking out on his head coaching contract only a few days after signing it. While sports figures in this country tend to be idolized whether they have any moral fiber or not, I generally include morality as a factor in whom I like as an athlete. Tiki Barber is a gentleman and a scholar. Bill Belichick is a sad human being who happens to be a talented coach.

Was it really only last week that we were wondering what happened to winter and discussing global warming? Tonight the temperature is supposed to go into single digits and the wind-chill factor tomorrow is supposed to be in negative numbers! We have already warned both cats that they cannot leave the house tomorrow, but somehow they did not seem to understand what we were saying. You think by now they would have picked up at least a smattering of English? ☺

I was late coming home from school Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and will be late again tomorrow night (yes, Friday!). That pales in comparison to next weekend when I will be very late Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday nights! Ah, the joys of only working half a day for half a year!

Currently listening: Paste Magazine includes a new music sampler in each monthly issue of their magazine, and it is invariably chockful of great music. I recommend the magazine for that item alone, although the reviews and articles are very interesting for people who like serious rock and roll and its various cousins such as folk, jazz, blues, and country.

Currently reading: Alastair Reynolds’ collection Galactic North, a gathering of stories set in the same future universe as his fabulous trilogy Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap. Readers of my companion sf blog might have seen my rave reviews of those novels, and this collection is nearly as good.

Friday was our first snowfall of the belated winter season. Although there was barely 1" of snow on the ground, the roads were so slippery my car would not stop at a stop sign while I was driving slowly down the hill towards Route 46. Fortunately no cars were coming so I drove right through the stop sign. My principal thought we should have had a delayed opening, but that is the superintendent’s decision, not the principal’s.

Friday night we went to the Seton Hall-Georgetown basketball game where the relatively short Pirates, with only a single player who is 6'9", were outrebounded 39-12 by the huge Hoyas, losing by 20 points. So much for my basketball-viewing season.

Yesterday we went with a group of friends to George Street Playhouse to see a play with the unusual title I Am My Own Wife. It is a Pulitzer-Prize winning play which was definitely worthwhile seeing. The lead actor Mark Nelson played all 35 roles in basically one costume, doing an outstanding job. His performance alone was worth seeing the entire play, although the storyline itself was also very interesting and thought-provoking.

Some random thoughts...

A teacher in my department fell down her basement stairs and broke her leg so badly she will required several operations and be out of school at least 8-12 weeks. It is definitely not easy finding a math teacher in an emergency like this.

This has been one of the warmest winters on record so far, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s until this week when it finally dropped to the teens overnight and the 30s during the day. In fact, right now it is snowing for the first time. I wonder if cosmic symmetry will cause the rest of the winter to be abysmally cold and snowy? Even though I have a new, huge snowblower, I would prefer the local warming to continue for a few more months.

What can be said about a district business administrator who refuses to allow the thermostats in the schools to be raised above a level where students and teachers are cold all day long, so that people are forced to put wet towels and frozen butter patties on top of the thermostats to raise the temperature a bit? I can think of a few nasty descriptions myself.

Does anybody know any historical tidbits about Route 46 in New Jersey or the near surroundings? Send me any interesting info you might have.

This was such a busy week that I had no chance to do anything on the computer, including update my blog. Fortunately, this is a three-day weekend so I will have time to catch up on my work.

Today is Andy’s graduation party, so we are expecting 40+ people here this afternoon. We ordered food at Carmine’s, which is an absolutely wonderful pizzeria whose prices are very reasonable as well. This evening our guests will be munching on chicken parmigiana, baked ziti, cavatelli & broccoli, and sausage & pepper, along with such accessories as chip & dip, bread, salad, and desserts. And we all thought the holiday eating splurge was over!

Last night we went to Community Theatre in Morristown to see Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats, who were very good. They were certainly young though, especially the boy who did the finale performance of stacking nearly a dozen chairs and doing handstands practically at the roof of the theater. They made a facetious announcement prior to his act not to attempt such a feat at home. That is not a problem unless somebody lives in a house with 20' ceilings. ☺

Since this was the second consecutive weekend we saw performers from China, we were discussing what we should do next weekend to continue this cultural immersion. I suggested dim sum in Chinatown, but somehow I doubt if we will do that. Too bad...

Some New Year’s comments:

In my mention of my Album of the Year, I totally forgot to mention Bruce Springsteen’s exceptional We Shall overcome: The Seeger Sessions. I enjoy folk music so long as it is not staid and this album is absolutely invigorating. Ya gotta hear it!

New Year’s Eve we went to First Night in Morristown where two acts particularly excited me. One was the Nai Ni Chen Dance Company doing traditional Chinese dances, and the other was the Guy Mendilow Group which performed some very distinctive and enjoyable folk music from around the world. I enjoyed it so much I bought a copy of the cd they were selling.

If you enjoy travel books or history books or, better yet, both, then I strongly recommend H.V. Morton’s classic A Traveler in Rome which combines some fascinating looks at various famous sites in Rome, the Italian people themselves, and a strong dose of history which occurred at those sites. When I finish this book, I will certainly buy his companion book A Traveler in Italy.

Today the first woman–and, I believe, the first Italian-American!–became Speaker of the House. This has to be an improvement than a lot of the men who have held that position in recent years.

I am not a big television watcher; in fact, I only watch a single program at all: Deal or No Deal. I don’t know why, since the show is all about greed. I think I like the statistical and probabilistic choices the contestants must make repeatedly during the show. And Howie Mandel is a fabulous host. I remember watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire a few years ago and totally disliking Regis Philbin as host.