Every Time a Bell Rings

I'm in between books, having just finished Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and so I was looking for a podcast to listen to while I cook. In the mood for a little holiday flavor, I happened across one called George Bailey Was Never Born. I was all in to hear the backstory of one of my favorite Christmas movies, dark as it may be, and at first, the show really delivered, explaining how the film went from obscurity to one of the most well-known and well-loved movies of all time. 

But near the end of the first episode, following an overview of all the pop-culture references made to the movie in the 80s, there was a line drawn from Mr. Potter to Biff Tannen, casino owner and powerful bad guy in Back to the Future II. From there it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to Donald Trump, casino owner and powerful bad guy in the real world today. And when the narrator reminded us "dear listeners" that we live in a world where George Bailey was never born, I literally gasped.

Fortunately? The podcast promises to be about more than just the movie, offering future episodes about what we can do to fight the rise of Potterville, Biff's Pleasure Paradise, and other evils. 

I will definitely stay tuned.

Zoinks!

I confiscated an iPad from a student who was playing games in homeroom after the bell rang. "You know better!" I told him as I placed his device out of reach. "What do you have to say?"

In reply, he made a strange noise. 

"What was that?" I asked.

"Just gulping," he said.

Not Today

"Where do you think he is?" asked a gruff voice to my right. I was sitting near the end of the long rows of chairs at the DMV, watching Heidi negotiate the paperwork for her Real ID.

"I don't know. Go ask." a woman's voice behind me answered. 

I didn't want to crane my neck and look at either of them, but the drama had me hooked. 

"Ooooooh! There's ketchup!" a little kid chimed in and I could smell fast food being unwrapped.

"I think he's sitting in the car," said the man, and when I glanced over he was peering out the plate glass door.

"Isn't that the guy?" asked his companion.

"Yup," he answered.

"Eat a french fry," she told the child. "Go ask," she repeated to the man.

I watched the tall, grey-haired guy in a flannel hoodie shuffle up to the service window next to Heidi.

"How was it?" he asked. 

I couldn't hear the reply of the uniformed man behind the safety glass.

"He's my grandson," the other man explained.

I saw him nodding and when he turned to return to the rows of chairs he was not smiling. "He said that there was a problem. When he told him to come to a full stop and turn left, he didn't do it," the man reported to the lady behind me.

"Well," she said, "he must be upset. Let's go."

And the three of them pushed their way out into the dark December late afternoon. Heidi was smiling for her picture, but I was feeling a little sad for the kid in the car.

To God's Ears

The local weather folk have been making noises about an extra-snowy winter this year. Something about the combination of El Nino and some polar situation has made it likely that our snow draught may soon end. As for myself, I usually only pay attention when wintery weather is imminent, otherwise, wishful thinking can just break your heart.

Even so, my two new students who have only recently moved to the US from Nigeria and Kenya were very excited this morning in first period. The slushy dusting of wet snow that coated our cars and yards overnight was the first these girls had ever seen, and they were not disappointed.

"Hopefully you'll get to see even more this winter," my co-teacher told them.

"Yeah," said another student at their table, "A LOT more."

Last Minute Contributions

We met some neighbors down at a new pub last evening, enjoying good company, Buffalo cauliflower bites, and giant arcade games. Noon today found us on our way to a Hannukah party, with more great food, dreidle games, and menorah lighting. A little while later we were on our way for chili and football at yet another get-together with friends.

I'm pretty sure we practically doubled our social life for the year in the last 24 hours!

One Tree

We were a little dismayed yesterday afternoon when we stopped after school at a local nursery to pick out our Christmas tree. Every single medium tree was sold out, leaving enormous Douglas firs, which ran between two and five hundred dollars, and a variety of small trees. "What about that one?" Heidi pointed at a white pine. "It would be different."

"It looks like Cousin It to me," I scoffed and a few minutes later we left with a plan to try again today. 

Once at home, I thought it might be fun to go for a bit of a drive and maybe even cut down a tree at a farm, but my research revealed that we had missed that opportunity. Despite the fact that it was not even a double-digit December date, every website I checked said that they were closed for the season. They did wish me a happy holiday, though.

This morning we decided to start with the relatively bargain-priced trees at a nearby big box store. Trolling their nursery, we were once again disappointed to see that the trees in our size range were slim pickings. I was about to give up, when I spotted a few trees leaning on a wall apart from the rest. A sign identified them as $180 Douglas firs, but the one on the end looked a bit out of place. Sure enough, when we tilted it toward us to take a look, it was a 50-buck Frasier fir of just the right size.

God bless us, every one.

Morality Tale

So we were talking about leadership as it relates to the short folk tale "The Empty Pot" in class today. 

The story revolves around an aging emperor who sends out seeds to every child in the kingdom announcing that whoever grows the best plant will be his successor. A young boy named Ping is known for his green thumb, but try as he might, he can't get any of the seeds to sprout. 

Over the next few months Ping frets and cries, and on the day of the judging he is tempted to stay home, but his father advises him to go anyway, confident in the fact that he did his best. At the palace, Ping is embarrassed to see all the beautiful plants the other young folk have brought, but the emperor is drawn to his empty pot. It turns out all the seeds were sterile, and Ping becomes the successor because he was the only one honest and brave enough to bring his best effort.

Any claim for an argument essay must be debatable, and so I usually play devil's advocate and make the case that Ping really isn't suited for the throne. Many students gasp when they first hear my thesis, but they warm up to it when I point out that he is a crybaby and generally too timid to be an emperor. "Plus," I always say, "who thinks a leader should always be honest? The emperor himself deceives everyone when he sends those seeds out. Can there be such a thing as being too honest?" I shrug

Today that little cheater from my homeroom was in my class. "Yes!" he nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "Look at Trump! He definitely knows a good leader doesn't have to be honest."