Taxation Without Scientific Representation

Recently, the governor of New York, David Paterson, proposed an "obesity tax" on non-diet sodas. A can of regular soda will cost more than its diet equivalent.

I suppose one could look at this at a way to make people to stop drinking such sugary beverages and drink healthier alternatives, but just a few months ago, study results were released that showed that diet soda could make you just as fat as regular soda.

So it's not a health concern tax. It's a money grub tax. I'll keep drinking my sugary concoctions anyway.

Analysis: The Cherry Tree Carol

At our winter concert, our school's orchestra performed a piece with a pretty melody that I'd never heard before, "The Cherry Tree Carol." A few days later, I heard the song with its words, and now I don't think can ever hear it again. I will give commentary on each verse.

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he

He married virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

He married virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

(News to me that Joseph was a cradle robber and Mary was royalty, but then again, I don't read the bible too often. It was only recently that I found out that Joseph was a decendent of Abraham, too.)

And one day as they went walking, all in the garden green

There were berries and cherries as thick as may be seen

There were berries and cherries as thick as may be seen

(Jesus was totally born in December. Right.)

Then Mary said to Joseph, so meek and so mild

Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child

Joseph, gather me some cherries for I am with child

(Pregnancy cravings, totally understandable.)

The Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he

Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee

Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee

(Bitch, I ain't yo baby's daddy!)

Then up spoke baby Jesus, from out Mary's womb

Bow down ye tallest tree that my mother might have some

Bow down ye tallest tree that my mother might have some

(Let's summarize that one: The fetus was talking. Holy crap.)

So bent down the tallest tree to touch Mary's hand

Said she, oh look now Joseph, I have cherries at command

Said she, oh look now Joseph, I have cherries at command

(Talking fetus Jesus uses telekinesis in order for him and Mary to have uber pwnage over Joseph.)

The End.

Two neat things (life update)

1) We received a package from our Irish cousins, with many photos of my great-grandmother's brother and his children. We'd already sent them photos of several generations of our side, so we both got to see photos of relatives we'd never seen.

2) Last weekend's several inches of snow provided a perfect opportunity to try out the reason I sprung for the all wheel drive option on my new car. And it was awesome. I drove up hills with no struggle and no fear. I did not fishtail, nor did I slip and slide along the roads. And I was driving while the snow was still coming down! I am very very happy with the car.

Tis the season to be teaching

I mainly teach at a 5th-8th grade middle school. However, there are so many classes at the elementary schools that the elementary teacher can't teach them all. So I teach a third grade class at one school and a pre-k class at another.

Last Thursday, the day I go see the 3rd grade class, the time I was there was the same time as the school's dress rehearsal for their winter concert. I arrived in the middle of the kindergarten's set. After they finished, I walked over to the other music teacher and the school principal to ask if I would still be there in time to see the third grade perform.

When I reached them, I realized they were gazing behind me. I turned and saw a custodian heading over to the risers with a mop...towards a puddle on the plastic. Guess one of the kindergarteners got nervous. The music teacher grinned at me. "Aren't you glad you teach in a middle school?"

I didn't have the heart to tell her that only hours earlier, the principal at the middle school had called an emergency faculty meeting five minutes before homeroom - to frantically remind the teachers that some children in the school still believe in Santa Claus.

And now it's time for madrigals with the Monkees.

"Riu Riu Chiu" is a Spanish Christmas madrigal from the 15th century or so. Many groups have sung it, and even I taught it to my madrigal group last year. I think this version, sung by the Monkees in its full four-part a capella harmony, is pretty nifty.

This is some serious Jon Stewart pwnage omg.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Jon Stewart asks Mike Huckabee about gay marriage.

More adventures in teaching

I teach my fifth grade class last period. All the fifth graders today went on a field trip to see Cirque du Soleil, and arrived in a slow trickle as their three buses returned and the kids went to their lockers and the bathroom and such.

For a while I had only a couple of kids in the room. While they were doodling on the dry-erase board, I asked them how the show was.

Girl: It was pretty cool, but there were some weird parts, like when these two women were crawling on each other.
Boy: That part was awesome.

Hee.

Two things in the news that are making me angry.

The incumbent republican senator Saxby Chambliss won reelection in Georgia over the democratic challenger Jim Martin. I'm not mad that the republican won; I'm mad that only about half of the people in Georgia who voted on November 4th voted in this runoff election. It proves my opinion that many people simply do not give a shit about voting, but some of those people gave a shit about voting for Barack Obama.

Director Roman Polanski asks a judge in L.A to dismiss his case. He raped a 13-year-old thirty years ago, fled the country to avoid going to prison (and hasn't been back since), and now he wants this judge to dismiss his case on a technicality. Disgusting.