I started teaching at an elementary school early this month for a program through the Oakland Symphony. I’m sitting in for the previous teacher who is on a medical leave.  The class consists of 3rd graders and I have twelve of them in my class.  I’ve been teaching private piano and this is my first keyboard class.  Let me tell you, it’s a LOT different.  You can get so much done when it’s one on one, and now I’m learning to explain things to a group of students instead of just one.  The experience has been great and I really am enjoying teaching this class.  

Unfortunately for elementary band teachers, each student has an instrument. Each student with an instrument can play and usually does play when they’re not supposed to.  Lucky for me, the keyboards that we’re using are electric and I can have the students plug in their headphones. Glorious headphones.  How I love them so.

On Saturday, B, D, D’s friend, and I went to Golden Gate Park to go see Realistic Orchestra play with Mos Def for free. We arrived just in time to see Realistic play, and after an hour, they were supposed to play with Mos Def. But suddenly the stage crew announced that they were clearing the stage for Mos Def. What??? The major point on us going was to of course see Mos Def, but to also see him play with Realistic Orchestra. I mean, how cool would that be to see Mos Def perform with a kick-ass, live, 20 person band behind him? But apparently, it was a managerial decision since he was running late.

So they cleared the stage and set up turn tables for the DJ. It was so anticlimactic. It was just him and a DJ up there on this huge empty stage. Plus, the sound coming from the DJ was horrible! Don’t know if it was the sound guy or the speakers, but it was totally distorted and sounded like Mos Def was rapping with a ghetto blaster. Lame. It looked kind of weird too with just the two of them, but at least Mos Def has a big stage presence. Plus, he’s super cute and witty as hell. While his performance, he suddenly tripped and fell on stage. He got up super fast and used in his rap, “i got cat like reflexes,” into the whole thing. His set ended right at 6pm as the stage managers cut the music. They didn’t even let him perform one more number after he asked them. Yeah, he ain’t ever coming back to GG Park again with that attitude. But all in all, it was cool to see him and Realistic perform.

Now for the crowd… hehe. Okay, I love seeing live shows, but depending on the performers, you can get some hairy audiences. As always, I had the big tall guy standing right in front of little ol’ 5′2″ me, so I had to constantly stand on my tippity-toes to see over his gargantuan shoulders. The funniest thing for me was seeing all the hippies dance around like fairies amongst the hard core hip hop fans. Outdoor show right? So ANYONE can come. Just around us, there was a dude dressed in camo dancing with his doc martin friends, super drunk hip-hop wannabe’s carrying a bottle of… get this… wine, scantily clad dressed girls in COLD 57 degree weather, and folks from the Marina talking about their jeans and what not. It was awesome people watching. So much material. As for us, we were just a group of jeans and sweatshirt hoodie wearing nerds hanging out.

B and I came home to an army of ants last month when we got back from Kansas.  They seemed pretty desperate as they scavenged the crumbs from Nigel’s dog food bowl.  We set out traps and since then, we still see the occasional ant in our kitchen, bathrooms, and closet.  I thought, “what the heck are they looking for?”  The other day, I turned on my iron to iron my blouse and out came a bunch of ants from the water spout.  EW, EW, EW!!!!  They are looking for water!!

I guess we didn’t get enough rain this year.  Balls.

watch?v=pZETc2uprBY

I took conducting and it was very difficult.  Our teacher was adamant on teaching us clear and precise conducting so as to not confuse the musicians.  That class was the hardest damn class I had.  But apparently, one can actually will their musicians to play.  Huh, go figure?  I wish I could’ve learned that method

Oh yeah, I thought there was a lag in the video, but the music mysteriously catches up in the middle to the end.  Leads me to believe that this was fo’ real.  In conclusion: the musicians are realllly good.  and saw him conduct another one and folks, he just gives a prep to his prep.

You know, when someone is racist against one group, they’re probably racist against others.  (Read “Why Do Minorities Vote Republican” post.) In the last month of campaigning, I see that McCain and Palin’s true colors are coming out.  It’s sad, disheartening, angering, and disgusting.  

Why isn’t this an issue?  Because the Democrats want to be above it.  Obviously, race does matter to a lot of Republicans.  Terry Nelson, a man who was promoted by John McCain as a campaign manager, was fired from Wal Mart for racist ads.  Yes people, fired by Wal Mart.  I guess McCain thought that was a good thing and hired Nelson on.  Does anyone remember the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears ad???

The focus for the McCain/Palin campaign is now on making Obama look like someone to be feared by using racist undertones. Read Article. These false attacks are so vial and hateful. Instead of focusing on the crisis in America, McCain does this. I guess McCain HAS NO PLAN FOR AMERICA.

Don’t expect this racist A-hole and his polar bear hatin’ retard to solve America’s problems.  

After the laughable and embarrassing interviews that Palin did with Katie Couric, I was expecting Palin to be better during the debate last night.  I was pretty sure she was pumped and drilled with information fed to her by McCain and his advisors.  So yes, I will admit that Palin did better than she has been doing.  It seems though, that anything would have been an improvement after her indeterminate babblings before.  But come on people, this is for the Vice President.  Should we expect this to be good enough?  Is Palin being better than ’stupid’ good enough to be VP?  Or even president if something happened to McCain?  

Let’s stick with the facts and not make it a Miss Congeniality contest.  BIDEN WON.  It was clear.