I Read Banned Books

My summer break is essentially OVER.  Tomorrow is the first contracted day for ten-month administrators.  I will spend at least half of the day at the annual administrative kick-off Fashion Show.  I went shopping in my own closet for something new to wear.  Yes, I have power suits from last year that were never worn because they did not fit.  Yes, that means what you think it means.  I lost weight this summer … over 20 pounds as of today.  It’s amazing what being away from a toxic environment can do to your physical and mental health.

I have spent the last 67 days in what I refer to as D & R (detox and recovery).  While I have not been around I Read Banned Books much, I have been planning for the upcoming school year and moving on from the House of Horrors.  I mentioned a little while back that I movin’ on up to the East side.  There was a slight change of plans and location due to the budget crisis in our state and school district.  I am still migrating to a high school, but this one is extremely close to home.  I will be working with a fantastic team, and I am optimistic about my future as a school administrator for the first time in a very long time.  The last two years have been a long and winding road, but I finally feel like I have made it to higher ground.

Join the Celebration

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee!

This heart-wrenching, coming-of-age tale set in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, served as the basis of an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country.

As the self-proclaimed reader of banned books, I am often asked to name my favorite banned book and explain why I love it so.  Longtime readers of this blog know that Harper Lee’s coming of age novel To Kill a Mockingbird has impacted me not only as a woman, a parent, and an educator but more so as a human being.  Lee’s powerful words resonate with me each time I read the novel and long afterward.  I learned as many lessons about courage, compassion, and self-awareness from Atticus Finch as his children Jem and Scout did.

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.

This simple yet crucial bit of advice should govern all of our lives.  I try to live my life by taking time to see things from every perspective.  We all struggle with trying to live with sympathy and understanding toward others.  If you have never read To Kill a Mockingbird, there is no better time than the present.  It is a timeless reminder that tolerance and compassion for all is just as clear today as it was 50 years ago.

Thank you, Miss Nelle Harper Lee, for enriching our lives.

Oh, you probably don’t know who I am referring to in the title.  Let me bring you up to speed.

In my last post, I proclaimed that I was going to dust off the treadmill and start running.  Baby steps have to be taken because I have never been a runner in the truest sense of the word.  However, I do love the idea of being a runner.  I am also obsessed with my laptop and the internet lately.  I know I need to disconnect once in a while, but it is so hard during the summer when I am tired and bored.  It’s not only my stress reliever but also my primary source of entertainment.

After speaking with a consultant on Thursday, I decided to marry my two lovers rather than making excuses.  Oh, yes, I am totally going to love my new relationship with T-Pain and Sweetmeat.  (Yes, I chose T-Pain because beauty is painful.  Sweetmeat has always been my laptop’s name even though I never declared it here on the blog.)

Just for my girl, Citizen Janey,  I am going to consummate this new relationship by watching Mad Men Seasons 1-3 on my new SurfShelf.

Workout.  Have fun.  Get things done. Email.  Chat.  Tweet.  Plurk.  Blog.  YouTube.  Dance.  Hulu.  Facebook.  Netflix.  Surf until the weight is gone.  Whatever it takes.

It’s only a matter of time before I have people standing up and saluting my ass.

I am no longer be stuck in the middle! I have been paroled from the House of Horrors!  Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!

I keep telling you fuckers that it pays to know voodoo. And, yes, that picture will be my new view. Keep calm and carry on.

’round here things have been pretty quiet.   A little voice told me that I should let it all out and fill you in on the happenings since the May 12 and previous non-entries.  I wanted to grab a Q-tip to silence said little voice, but I soon realized I might have a thought or eleventy billion percolating in the membrane.

Meanwhile … two of my personalities have a Leonard & Sheldonesque exchange:

CajunVegan: “We have to do this!”

Psycho Hose Beast: “No, we don’t! We have to take in nourishment, expel waste, and inhale enough oxygen to keep our cells from dying… Everything else is optional.”

Except it really is not optional to ignore this blog for long periods of time.  Stalkers and trolls get demanding and send me annoying emails, texts, IM’s, tweets, and Plurks.  I do not really like when the Kravitzing starts, so let me hit you with a clue by four.  While the Psycho Hose Beast was out, SHIT LIFE SHIT HAPPENED.

Exhibit A:

BITCH TROLL FROM HELL: Excuse me, Psycho Hose Beast. Is there something wrong?

PSYCHO HOSE BEAST: Yes ma’am, the facts on this evaluation are inaccurate.

BTFH: How’s that, PHB?

PHB: Well, I just happened to single-handedly change the…

PARTNER IN CRIME: We!

PHB: Uh, sorry, PIC.  WE happened to change the climate of this school.

BTFH: What makes you believe this?

PHB: Duh, that’s obvious.

BTFH: It’s what?

PHB: It’s obvious. I could tell you, but I would rather see you do your own job.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the single most important thing that happened while I was out.

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!