I miss George

Glee: How dare you skip me in the rotation! How embarrassing for me!

Actually, my most embarrassing pitching moment: high school, my junior year. I was brought on in a very crucial situation: bases loaded, bottom of the sixth. Can't remember the score, but it was close. Can't remember how many outs there were. Can't remember who we were playing. Hilliard maybe? Anyway, first pitch to the dude, and he crushes a grand slam.

Yeesh.

Next dude comes up. First pitch to him: home run.

How am I not in the majors right now?

Anyway, in one of your previous posts, you admonished me for ripping on people. You're right. I shouldn't be so harsh toward our fellow man (and woman). I really don't think I'm superior to everyone, unless the subject is '80s hair bands. Even then, I'm a little fuzzy on Firehouse. (This is probably a good thing).

I don't really hate most humans. I'm speaking for Rayo here, but I think he agrees with this philosophy, as said by George Carlin: "I love and treasure individuals as I meet them; I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to."

Speaking of Carlin, I share some of his stuff with my high school students each year. I discuss with students the power of words, and how one of the books we read, To Kill a Mockingbird, has the n-word, which of course offends many and puts Mockingbird on the banned list in some schools. I play them Carlin's "Baseball vs. Football" routine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_yq4L3M_I

I love Carlin, mainly for his intense love of studying our language - all the silliness of it, the seriousness of it, how it's not just what we say that matters, but how we say it. When he died, there were of course a bunch of things written about him. One of the best things I found dealt with Carlin's most famous routine, "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." Here's his routine (sorry, no video), followed by the article written about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrD6k8PDr1o

I love the line: "these are the seven words that'll keep the country from winning the war." Seems more fitting today than ever, doesn't it: the concept that certain words provoke such intense fear (just look at how politicians and some talk show hosts try to convince us that certain leaders are destroying the country, and the words they use - he's a Nazi, or a Socialist, etc. - that pander to the irrational).

Here's the article on the impact Carlin had with his ideas on words:

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/freespeech/a/george_carlin.htm

I talk to my students about words, how Carlin said there are no bad words (and, really, no good words). There are, simply, words. And it's our intentions behind them that give them power.

Surprisingly, I don't get many calls from parents after our look at Carlin, saying that I'm exposing their children to radical thoughts. But it's not from a lack of trying.

Holy Toledo this is a gigantic post! No way in the word Rayo reads all of this.

Oh, and Rayo? Really mature on your tormenting the Greatest Generation with your driving. I've never been so proud.