Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am

This one's about teaching, tradition, and TWLOHA.

"Where teaching in schools and universities are concerned, shouldn't character be as important as the intellect? Shouldn't students who are otherwise smart and capable be held responsible for the crimes they commit, such as bullying, robbery, rape, and destructiveness, or should we just overlook their crimes because they are so capable?"

Hey folks! Greetings from snowy Cortland...I'm back after spending the holidays with my mom and brother outside of Buffalo, which was a good time regardless of them both being sick the majority of the time. Hope you all had a kickass festive experience...I know I missed out on some great prompts while being away but it's cool that we've got some real thought-provokers today (by the way...congrats on your 300th prompt, Lyn's a sly fox and "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" ...what an accomplishment!). Bear with me; this might be a long one.

I'm gonna start it off by immediately saying that regardless of who you are or what your potential is, if you do something stupid you should pay the consequences. And as much as I hate to admit it, yes, every situation is different and circumstances aren't always what they seem, but what's more troubling than anyone in a position of bettering themselves committing an act of crime or indecency is the lack of consistency in punishment. Simply put: money talks, bullshit walks...if you've got the money for a good lawyer sometimes even the most heinous of infractions can be made to "just go away", while the common man or common woman has to suffer the indignities of justice for minor offenses. And don't tell me that's not true. Wall Street pirates bankers bilk society out of billions daily, but if you misunderstand the complicated rules of a benefit system designed to help the poor, jobless and unfortunate, courts won't hesitate to bury you further. Personal experience, yeah, but my complicated legal history isn't the basis for my opinions. Moving on...

My biggest concern though is why are we limiting the boundaries of moral decency to just students? Teachers and administrators are human beings as well, and are just as likely as the A+ student or the juvenile delinquent to snatch you out your wig or hustle you for your lunch money, and y'all know it. How many times a year do you hear about a teacher boinkin' a student, or a principal getting run up for a DWI? Hint: once is too many. But outside of a day in shame and their name in the local newspaper, do they really suffer? Are they held up to the same standards as the kids they're bustin' on and the lives they're trying to mold? Not always. I'm not gonna lie; I have a heavy distrust for authority, mainly because I've seen it being abused too many times. Double standards for some are unfortunately (for others) a way of life. What keeps me on the "straight and narrow" now? It's because I know that if I fuck around and catch a case, I don't believe I'll be treated with the same leniency as some who get to be dicks just for fun with no consequences because of who they are.

What we lack is consistent accountability for our actions, across the board. Nobody has the right to treat others as less than what they are. Entitlement is bullshit, and the thought that someone deserves the benefit of the doubt because "he's a good kid" or "she's a pillar of the community" makes me sick because of its utter nonsense. Good kids don't cheat, shoplift or make fun of the crippled kids. Excellent teachers don't abuse their authority, sleep with teenage students, and power trip because "they worked so hard to get to where they are". Fuck that with a capital THAT. Sorry for being so harsh with the language, but situations like this really piss me off.

It boils down to a simple concept...do the crime, do the time. Suck it up. There are reasons we have rules, laws, and social mores. If I'm an asshole to someone, I expect to get treated like the asshole that I am...reverse common courtesy, you might say. Are there reasons to act out sometimes? Yes. But there are also other ways to go about getting what you want/need, and often the alternatives are easier to obtain with a second thought or a better way of thinking/behaving. Too often though some seek the path of least resistance rather than working toward a desirable outcome, and it tends to ruin everything for the people who do the right thing. I'm no better than anyone else, and I won't argue that there have been times where I've received more than my fair share of preferential treatment for one reason or another, but I also won't say it was right. Have I been lucky? Yes. And while I believe it was the professional golfer Gary Player who once said, "It's better to be lucky than good", life's not golf. Eventually luck runs out. Being good gets you places luck can't.

(Side note: Actually, Gary Player said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get." Lefty Gomez is the one who coined "I'd rather be lucky than good."  , but he played for the Yankees once and I don't trust the Yankees or anything about them worth the price this blog is banged out upon across your eyes.)

"Do you have a special or traditional food that you eat on New Year's Day? Or do you have a recipe for one the traditional foods that you would like to share? My grandmother always served black-eyed peas and greens on New Year's Day because they were supposed to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year. Another New Year's Day food is pork and sauerkraut because it encourages you to move forward in the New Year."

I'll tell you what...my (Polish...not crazy Italian) grandmother liked making pork and sauerkraut, and it made me move somethin' forward...away from the table in a hurry . Naw man, I don't like peas or sauerkraut at all. Pork though, I've grown to love, because it's not just chops breaded and fried (or baked). There's this thing called "bacon", and it's incredibly delicious in all of its incarnations if you haven't heard of it. Please do try it soon. On everything.

Seriously though, I don't really have any specific NYE/NYD traditions. Life changes sometimes robs you of traditions, but I don't think I've ever really had any specific food I must eat on the first day the calendar flips. And I know some people can get really OCD about the shrimp and herring, almost as much as they want to start the new year out "right", but not me. I'm too impulsive for that, and not in the negative sense...if I'm hungry, I'll eat, and I'll eat what I'm in the mood for. I'll make the best of what's available. I won't starve (my belly-licious belly since I broke my ankle two years ago will attest to that).

I don't buy into a lot of ritualistic behaviors anymore. It used to be a big deal to go out for certain events, but I don't have the sense for that anymore. No urge, wherewithal, whatever. I prefer to do things on my own account. I don't march to the beat of a certain or different drummer; I am the drummer. An easygoing, simply pleased drummer, who doesn't give a shit about much (almost to a fault). You cook it, I'll (probably) eat it. You wanna do something? We'll (probably) go. Oh, you like hockey? So do I! I know this contradicts my whole selfish side, but you'll eventually see that and get used to it, because everything comes out in the wash anyway.

My New Years Eve will be spent at home most likely, chillin'. I'll watch Cortland's celebration from the window, where I can see the clock tower and the illuminated "2015" display. I think last year someone projected a hockey game onto one of the buildings nearby; maybe if they do it again I'll head outside and check it out. If it's not too cold, that is. There's something to be said about being comfortable in shorts in your own place of residing year-'round. And I'll eat whatever it is my heart desires...damn you, CVS, for not having shelled pistachios in stock when I come back from Buffalo, and you know I'm the only one who buys the two bags you shelve every week.

Life is awesome because I got an iPod for Christmas...it was a really good deal on a 160gb piece that's non-existent anymore thanks to the jerks at Apple. Only took three and a half days to load up my music library to it, but super mega thanks to my mom for taking the chance on eBay and getting me the dopest, unbelievably hard-to-come-by toy evvv-arrrrhhh. Suck it, Teddy Ruxpin  .

That said, I don't even have a song to pin on this entry. But I do have the first song that was busted out of this newfangled solid state piece of machinery (even though I skipped it on shuffle because I don't need to subject ma to The Wu so early at 11:30am). And I don't even care if I've posted this song 36 times before, yo.

Meth's verse though...and Raekwon's.
Lyrics.  

Also got me from moms my new hoodie de jour, which I think is French for "the new hoodie from the Made In America   store that I'll wear pretty much all the time until it's time to wear another one". Sounds legit; plus it says "Made In America" on it, as well as on the tag. Yay America!

Who doesn't want tips on how to simplify your life? And wouldn't you like to know that science is studying ways to rid annoyances from your life  ? I know I would like that! <insert cheesed-out grin here> Pro tip: Use a pasta strainer to shake out the cereal dust, lest no one be after your Lucky Charms, if ya know what I'm sayin'.

So, remember what I said in my last entry about not taking selfies even though I shaved off my legendary 30-Day blogger camping beard? Well, I, uhhhh, caved. Damn you, Facebook people who wanted to see me beardless! I'm so weak.

Next step:
removing the shitty attempt at dreadlocks.

Just gotta tie up a few business matters now that I'm home and have some time off and can concentrate. The "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  is back up in full effect! It's, like, mine and stuff now, so I encourage anyone who is reading this to enter. Pretty much everything will remain the same (except the forum, which I'll be working on tomorrow and the next day, but don't expect much in the way of changes)...I have a surprise or seven in store, and I'd still love some donors and guest judges, but yeah, it's gonna be as cool as hell as I can make it, but it'll be cooler if you're a part of it. Also, this thing reading enjoyment extravaganza "Invalid Item"  is out and in the books, and I had a hand in that, if you're so inclined to see what it's all about (and why wouldn't you??). So get on that when you're done with this, and tell me and Wordsmitty ✍️ how much you love that and us in the "Blogging Bliss Newsletter Forum" .

Now, y'all know I'm selective about a lot of things...and that includes the movies that I see and the charities I support. That's why I'm sharing this with you all now...the To Write Love On Her Arms   movie trailer. TWLOHA   is something I believe very deeply in...if you haven't been there, you know someone who has (and I refrained from saying "chances are..." because fucking face it, you know someone who's been suffering from depression, or someone who's been a victim of a hate or sex crime, or someone who's struggling with or has dealt with addiction). I'm championing this because it's not new to anyone...it's real, and it's here, and we can talk about it and not shame anyone or make you feel like shit because of it. I don't ask a lot of you cats, and I don't normally judge you (but sometimes y'all get behind some stupid shit...jus' sayin'), so just do the world a favor and support those you know having a time you know you don't think you'd ever go through, because it does happen (and by "it" and "does" and "happen" I mean just that, and then some). Sorry not sorry if it sounds hypocritical to anything I said earlier, but sometimes no, all the time, love is the answer.

And with that, I bid you all the most joyous of New Years, with everything you hope for and more. Be not the dreaded reason. Peace, through your spine, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

"You need to diversify yo bonds..."