Thanks, Possibly

"Thank you for being such a good staircase monitor."
"You're welcome."
"You were really permissive."
"That's not exactly what I like to hear, but glad I could help."

Pop Culture as Knowledge

In honor of my pop culture class ending with an epic session of culture jamming today, my favorite Wonkette clipping of July:

"America could use a few calm pictures of its president and a white person and black person drinking outside, and later, when it rains, going inside to play some Mario Kart 64. Can our president land the secret shortcut jump in Wario Stadium on all three laps? The future of the public option & national racism depends on it."

It is D Day

Tomorrow is D Day - the day when the kids in my major debate in the Oxford Union take their final (in which they have to do impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, or deliver a monologue, and for which they will forever loathe me) and when the kids in my minor get black markers and instructions to culture jam an issue of Cosmo while listening to the giant 75 track mix tape that we made to illustrate habitus (for which I will be either knighted or canonized). And then we wrap the program up on Friday, take the kids to the airport on Saturday, I get a 24 hour intensive date on Sunday, put David on his IcelandAir flight on Monday, pack like hell and close down everything on Tuesday, and fly back on Wednesday. It is like the Twelve Days of Christmas if there were only seven and Christmas ended at JFK.

You've Got Fail

I should not be allowed to use email lists, ever. Luckily, I never send mean or inappropriate things out to whole email lists when I intend to send them directly to one person. Unluckily, I do frequently send out messages that make me sound like a total tool.

Awkward Highlight of the Week

I had my students give impromptu speeches on Saturday, and one of them got up and started clicking a pen in her left hand as she previewed the points she planned to make. I'm trying to get them to drop the nervous habits before they do their exhibition, and being polite about it is not working that well. So I just barked "drop your pen!"

Her eyes got really wide and she stammered, "...Mr. Ryan!" which is what she calls me to be ironic and funny because I am clearly not a Mr. Ryan. Except she seemed genuinely terrified. And then she glanced down at her pants, and I was like, "oh, ack, pen, not pants, drop your pen." It was pretty much traumatic for both of us, but I think everyone else in the class enjoyed that.

Oxford Idol

My random act of kindness for the day was exposing 300 teenagers to drag, because the program needed a Paula Abdul for the talent show and because I have a difficult time saying no to my friends. I didn't really look that much like Paula Abdul - for example, the only brown wig I could find with four hour's notice was a bob - so I was lucky when it turned out that only about a quarter of the audience said they watched American Idol. I did effusively praise everyone and call their acts magical, though, so that was more or less accurate. And the important thing is that I looked hot and made a few racy jokes, and I got applause from two clusters of students as I walked back with my face still painted on. I also learned how to play Texas Hold 'Em, courtesy of my students. All things considered, it was a pretty educational day. (I drew the line at borrowing a bra from a girl in my class, though.)

Palin as Orator

I'm using Sarah Palin's speech at the RNC and resignation speech in Alaska as examples of how one person can be one of the best and worst orators of contemporary times. This edit of the resignation speech by Vanity Fair is kind of priceless.