Irony Brought to You Courtesy of the US Department of Defense

Can you believe it? Really? Okay, I'm just utterly flabbergasted that this is actually happening and during Banned Book Week no less! Despite the fact that the Army originally cleared the book, Operation Dark Heart only to have the US Defense Intelligence Agency later determine that the Army's clearance was not sufficient.

As a person who works with teens in a public library in the United States of America I find it appalling that I am promoting the concept that we, as Americans have the freedoms necessary to read any book we like, while this goes on in our country. Is what I believe really true? The numbers currently being reported are that 9,500 copies of this book have been BURNED...

Oh, by the way, Happy Banned Book Week, September 25 - October 2, 2010.

Regardless of What You Believe...

Over and over the issue is raised on the incorrect use of commonly used words such as, irregardless. This was the case on a recent NPR story that greeted me as I woke from my fluffy dreamworld.

This got me to wondering why it's not a word if it's used so frequently, albeit incorrectly. Then, when I looked up how it is determined that words will be added to the dictionary, I found that this is done through usage. What? The word irregardless is used all the time, yet anal wordsmiths refuse to consider accepting its' adoption into the dictionary! 

That doesn't seem right. I mean the word irregardless has done it's job by being easily accessible and applicable in many conversations. Why the snub?

Well, I discovered that one dictionary has embraced the use of irregardless, irregardless of it's official word status and that is in the Urban Dictionary. The Urban Dictionary is awesome and if you don't think so, your probably a major wenis! (Look it up.)

So, here is an excellent definition for the word, irregardless, according to Urban Dictionary:

"Irregardless: Used by people who ignorantly mean to say regardless. According to Webster, it is a word, but since the prefix "ir" and the suffx "less" both mean "not or with" they cancel each other out, so what you end up with is regard. When you use this to try to say you don't care about something, you end up saying that you do. Of course everyone knows what you mean to say and only a pompous, rude asshole will correct you."

To Know Him Is To Love Him

I have a soft spot for Mikey (*name is changed) now but it wasn't the way I felt on his first day of school in my kindergarten class. He almost immediately went to and under the art table, rocking, and making a terrible sobbing noise. And that's where he stayed until his mother was called and arrived to pick him up. She explained to me apologetically that his dad and she had just started dating and he was only slightly younger than his "step-sister" so they'd like him to be in the same class as her and they were certain that was the cause for this "unexpected" behavior. Well, it soon became clear that it wasn't because he was slightly younger. It was because Mikey was autistic. But no one said that and no one suggested that. Being a first-year teacher in a small Christian school where every student counted, didn't help matters. Finally after two sporadic weeks of attendance and performance, it was finally decided that Mikey would wait a year. Fortunately for Mikey, they waited two years, during which time he received more specialized attention through the local SPARC program.

By then I was teaching a 2nd grade and Mikey once again became a student in my classroom. He loved his "vids". He wrote everything in all capitals with no spacing between words. He self-soothed by rubbing his earlobes and flapping his arms. He taught a class full of self-centered 2nd graders how to be empathetic. And he taught me that not every child is smart in the exact same way.

The class taught Mikey that not everyone understood where he was coming from and that some explanation was helpful, not because they were being judgmental. They taught Mikey how to play hopscotch and shoot the basketball during recess. They taught Mikey how to make jokes and enjoy it when people laughed. And they taught Mikey how to want to be part of his peer-group.

It was a year that we all learned something about each other and ourselves. So, it is with a mother's pride that I watch Mikey visit the library on occasion. You see, Mikey is an eighth grader now and he makes eye-contact and greets me with his little crooked grin. He's learned so much and I'm looking forward to everything he has yet to learn in life. I think he's ready.

We just finished watching a great movie called, Temple Grandin as this movie explores autism and some of the special people who have become spokespersons for this disorder. It was sad, funny, and above all, inspiring. It is to be celebrated!

Where Did I Fail?

I thought I was doing everything right. I made sure that they grew up listening to bands like Styx, The Cure, The Cult, Depeche Mode, White Snake, Guns N Roses, Tom Petty, Toby Kieth, Beastie Boys, U2, Johnny Cash, Weird Al, Neil Young, and even Enya. My belief was that this exposure would prevent them from entertaining themselves with the likes of Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, or God forbid, Justin Bieber. But alas, failure...or is it? Some would say that the music that the boys are listening to is an improvement over what they were indoctrinated with at a young age. Is it music when it's created by a 9 year old prepubescent girl who thinks she's a recording star or some wigger rapper out of Seattle. Eminem is so yesterday I guess and so are my musical tastes.

Irresponsible Book Reviews

Recently I finished the dystopian novel, Far North by Marcel Theroux, which I absolutely adored. Having drawn out the inevitable conclusion of this book by jealously guarding the number of pages read each night for fear of losing that elusive connection with the main character, Sheriff Makepeace, I knew that the end would one day arrive. Like time, there is no stopping it.

Makepeace, is the wraith-like guardian of a town inhabited only by memories. I went where Makepeace went, I experienced what Makepeace experienced, but most of all, I understood Makepeace. I so appreciated the honesty found in the words of this simple and hardworking soul, that despite the hardships encountered, they continued on. Yes, weaknesses are exposed but Makepeace's voice is so directly blunt and honest that when secrets are revealed, they are made all the more shocking along side the beauty of their simplicity. This novel actually caused me to contemplate humanity, mortality, and the nature of man.

So, I read a book that I love, what's my beef? Well, when I went to a co-worker to recommend this haunting book I hopped on line to pull up a review to refer her to but to my horror, the review that I first went to revealed every little nuance including some of my most favorite lines. That's a travesty. I promptly clicked out of it and expressed my disgust that this review was not only a spoiler, it was a stinker. 

I recommend the book, despise the review, and loved the artwork. I would suggest reading the copy shown above to avoid getting a cover that reveals too much about the book before discovering the secrets on your own. Now I'm off to find a copy of The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: A Paper Chase by Theroux.

Scary Stats

Regardless of which side of the political fence you park your hiney, these statistics are scary!!

Here's an idea of which side I'm parked on...enough already!