2.27.2007

explain these to me

1) why my butt hurts after a workout that concentrated on my upper body

2) why, when it came time for dinner, i craved tuna like there was no tomorrow

3) why Tennessee is creaming Florida in men's basketball (8 min left in the 1st half)* is Florida really losing its magic?

4) why Maryland and Duke basically hold a tie in the ACC (Maryland is slightly ahead considering points for and points against)* how did this happen? (not that i'm complaining) did anyone see this in the stars?

5) why (to take a cue from WN) kevin federline doesn't have custody of his sons yet* clearly, since the divorce, britney has been all but screaming for help (see her cueball `do), and he actually comes off as the responsible one, bringing their boys to see her while she's in rehab

6) why they bother with the oscars at all anymore* the general public often does not agree or respect the decisions of the "academy," and they also usually go to bed before the end of the show* really, folks--2 hrs should be more than enough time to dole out the little statuettes* does anybody else feel that it's just an over-hyped, narcissistic (sp?), self-congratulatory night of excess?

7) why dick vitale hasn't had his mouth duct-taped shut yet

8) why al gore bothered to make a joke out of entering the `08 presidential race* with all the crap that's already present, do we really need to have somebody else jerking us around?

9) why your everyday educators get such crappy salaries* don't give me the economy reason, please* although, according to the inimitable Gary Rohrback, it's all economic*

10) why we don't all try to do jobs that we love* for me, i've putzed around enough and gotten enough experience teaching Every Single Age Group Around, and i've realized that i just have to bite the proverbial bullet* or, as in the case of graduate school, the financial bullet, the relocation bullet, the workload bullet, and the social life bullet* but, even with all of that, i know what i want* i know that i love phd level work, and i know that i love the material* so, i could get a job (theoretically) as a copywriter or some other such higher paying thing* but, i'd rather give all my energy and get smaller pay for something that i feel makes a difference for both myself and others* just an idea*

much love to Gary Rohrback! EIML, baby!

4 comments:

Wacky Neighbor said...

3. Florida is coasting. I don't know that they can turn it back on in March, but they don't have any heart right now.

4. I said before the season that Duke was in for a big fall (they've been better/luckier than I expected, even) because they lost a good senior class and everybody there now (but especially Greg Paulus) sucks. Maryland was a mostly senior team (Ibekwe, Straw, Mike Jones "Who?") and finally put it together late this year.

5. First, I think Britney and Kevin cut a deal last week - he got temporary custody, she went to rehab, no court hearing. Second, if Britney actually were taking care of her kids (not her mom or her manny), maybe this would be a bigger deal.

6. The awards show brings in a lot of money. There's a whole side industry of swag and fashion and such that lives on this. And the nominations and awards drive up the price of directors and actors and such. So pretty much everybody in Hollywood gets a cut of the action.

9. Cynical answer: because our country was basically founded by a bunch of rich white guys who didn't want to pay taxes.

Real answer: people don't really care enough to pay teachers more - if people really cared, they'd find school board and county commissioner candidates who would say "We're going to pay teachers a lot more to get the best teachers" and they would win. But that isn't happening. We get just enough people who want to/are willing to teach at the salaries they have and the system kind of works. The whole arrangement between teachers/parents/school board/union isn't cutting it, and there's no one fix - for example, the answer for a rural Maryland county is very different than for Baltimore city.

10. Some of us can't afford to. Some of us aren't talented. Some of us are willing to trade happiness for cash or prestige. Some of us can't find the job we love. And some of us push their chips all-in and go after the job they love.

Unknown said...

1) If you're like me, you tense in your glutes while you workout.

2) 'Cuz you're female and females crave weird stuff.

... dunno sports ...

5) does he want custody? I'm not following things.

6) See WN's answer. It is overhyped, but gives me something to gossip about that I know a lot of other people gossip about.

9) Because, in the grand scheme of things, teachers a) don't go through as much schooling as doctors or lawyers b) don't have to have rare talent, looks, or ability like athletes or actors or singers c) are heavy on supply (there are a lot of em) d) will accept smaller salaries, obviously, or else we'd HAVE to pay them more. I'm not saying right or wrong, I'm just saying.

10) Because not everyone feels the same way. A lot of people in my field want to work hard for a shorter period of time so that they can retire early and THEN do what they want to do - which is nothing. Or, because some people can't do what they really want to do. Let's say I really want to be a singer. Well, I have no voice or talent, so I can't be one. Or, and this is my reason, because I don't know what it is that I love to do and honestly I think that no matter what I do, I'll get bored with it. Or, and this is someone else that I know's reason, because he doesn't want what he loves to do to feel like work, he wants it to feel like vacation.

Mary said...

9) Because people who go into teaching do so out of a sense of vocation and are willing to accept lower salaries to do work that is meaningful and society takes advantage of this fact. Same is true of a lot of "helping" and public service professions.

10) Because sometimes the job you love and the overall lifestyle you love are incompatible. I know people who work in jobs they love, but those jobs take so much time/energy that there is nothing left for anything else, leaving those people still unhappy/discontented. A lot of people tend to focus on their careers first and then just expect their life to just fit around the career, but it often doesn't work like that. I'd way rather have the life I want and a job I'm "meh" about than the other way around.

Unknown said...

"Because people who go into teaching do so out of a sense of vocation and are willing to accept lower salaries to do work that is meaningful and society takes advantage of this fact. Same is true of a lot of "helping" and public service professions."

True... plus if teachers made a bunch of money, people like me and my fellow tech geeks would do it. And we'd be bad at it.