Out of Lascaux

I'm a New Yorker Wannabe

You Belong in Soho

Although you may not be a professional artist, you do dabble in one form of art or another. And you indie culture of all kinds - from little botiques to art house films.

The Home Stretch

So I finished my practicum at the El Paso Public Library this week. I am very sad to see it end. It was great being back at work again and feeling useful. The hours at the main reference desk could be rather dull, but there were a few questions that kept me busy. The real treat was working in the Border Heritage Center. They have a collection so large that it has two different storage areas as well as the main shelving area open to the public. The collection is actually larger than the circulating collection and the reference collection put together. And it is sorely neglected. When they did the renovation and new construction, all the resources were put into the computer lab (47 terminals!) and the children's section. The BHC reference collection is packed into a room with telescoping shelves in the center and stationary shelves all around the walls. But the bad thing is that this room leaks! A room for special collections that is prone to water damage. And there's "no money in the budget" to do more than patch it up.

The genealogy collection was what I was most interested in. I was impressed by the number of people who utilize it daily. And though I have nothing to compare it to in terms of size, a genealogist friend of mine visited the other day and was very impressed by the collection.

Now I am almost through with school. My portfolio passed the second time around (woo-hoo!) and I only have to finish up the two classes I am taking now, both of which are fairly easy and fun.

So what's next? Damned if I know. I want the genealogy position at the El Paso Public Library so bad I can taste it, but the position doesn't officially exist until the city approves its inclusion in the budget. And they haven't done it in the last three years the library has proposed it. Even if they do get it approved, it won't be posted for employment until late next summer. I just can't wait that long.

So I'm sad about not being able to stay at EPPL. I'm also worried about having to move to find a job. Moving is expensive, and I don't know how I'll manage it. And frankly, I don't want to move - moving is a pain in the ass! So it's all up in the air. We'll see.

First Parish Church

I just found out something that makes me proud to be a Unitarian Universalist. The first church the pilgrims founded in 1620 in Plymouth, MA is now a Unitarian Universalist congregation, the oldest continuous church in New England.

Now that's food for thought. The UU's are now the most liberal of the Judeo-Christian religions, welcoming Christians, Pagans, Buddhists, Jews and everyone in between into their congregations. And yet the church in Plymouth was founded by people we have always considered to be one of the most straight-laced, narrow-minded and rigid sects in Christianity. How did this happen?

It's actually not so far-fetched. The Seperatists came over here because they wanted the freedom to worship in their own way. In that is the seed of liberal religion. Yes, they believed their way was the only way, but over the years, they grew and their ideas on religion expanded. It may have started with letting a Methodist join, and then perhaps a Baptist, then learning that the Unitarians had some good ideas, so they officially became Unitarians (believing in unity of a singular God, as opposed to Trinitarians, who believe God appears in three forms). Universalists believe that everyone will receive God's grace, that there are no "chosen ones." Unitarian Universalism in its present state was not born until 1961, when the Unitarians officially merged with the Universalists.

I guess we are still considered a Christian denomination. That's fine with me, although I know a lot of UU's who would be appalled at being called "Christian." Last week at our quarterly congregational meeting, we were each asked to write down on an index card what we wanted from a minister (we are currently minister-less). Most people wrote that they didn't want an authoritarian, but did want someone to pull us together. One singular and anonymous card said that the minister should read the Lord's Prayer every Sunday and preach the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a stunned silence.

As a congregation, we agree that that person has the right to his opinion. He won't get what he wants, but he can ask with no repercussions. Seriously, if he wants that much religion, he is in the wrong place. Perhaps he thought he was in the original First Parish Church.

G-School Hell

Everything I have ever thought about public schools (government or "G-Schools") has been confirmed, validated and justified. This supposedly "good school" my son is going to is nothing more than a warehouse to keep kids until they're old enough to be charged considered as adults. Public high school is not about education, at least not in the academic sense - it's about learning to conform and behave and cower before authority.

My son begged me to go to school. I thought it would be a good experience for him. Silly me. Since August he has been bullied by students, harassed by security guards and administrators, been out sick two to three days every month, had his backpack stolen, and nearly failed all of his classes. Even so, he has risen above all this, gotten his grades up from failing to nearly all B's, and determined to see this through. However, I believe the last encounter with "the man" has broken the camel's back. He was unjustly charged with a misdemeanor (how many schools do you know of who give suspensions for the official reason of "horsepley"?), then treated poorly by the security guard when he demanded to know why he was getting this referral. He was mocked and teased for even asking. Unfortunately, if there is one trigger my son has that will truly set him off, it's being teased. And he was being teased by those in power. So it was no wonder that by the time the Assistant Principal came along to hand out punishment, my son said, "I'm tired of this" and wadded up his pink slip and threw it in a corner. The AP is not the most understanding of men (as you can imagine) and proceeded to make it worse by escalating the punishment until my son finally said "F**k you." Well, this was something I never would have said to any adult, let alone any adult in power, but my son lost his judgment for a moment. That afternoon, he told me he was now in "AEP" which means "Alternative Education Program" but which is actually jail on campus.

My first response was that there was no way I was going to let my son associate with the type of kids that get thrown into Coronado's own private oubliette. But after Brian's behavior at the hearing (think Mr.Defiant), we decided he needed to be taught a lesson. Even so, I do not believe this is the way to run an educational institution. The Army, maybe; the Marines, perhaps; a prison, definitely, but not a school.

And they think they can put him there for the rest of the year! Everyone I have spoken to in the school system thinks this is excessive. But, they remind me, it's only a "recommendation." They can let him out for good behavior before that time. Unfortunately, this planned punishment has backfired. He actually likes it down there. It's like homeschool only easier and they let him sleep when I won't. He gets a little one-on-one instruction in each of his core classes, then he's assigned some work. When he's done, he can take a nap. And as long as he does the work, he gets a good grade, regardless of the quality. The only real punishment aspect is that he can't hang out with his friends because he has to be off campus before they get out of school.

Now he dreads going back to regular classes where he will actually have to work for his grades. And he'll have to work extra hard to catch up. But, as far as the admin here is concerned, that doesn't matter. At this school, I am the only one who cares about his grades. They are unimportant as long as he plays nice with the administration and doesn't cause trouble. Most of the teachers couldn't care less, either.

So, we have decided that December will end this experiment in juvenile detention one way or another. Brian has been beaten pretty hard by the system. He feels there is no recourse, that nothing we do will matter. We have tried to explain that we have some recourse, that we can cause a stink, and make them wish they hadn't messed with our son. Brian is fond of a phrase he heard from a friend at school, that "we signed a paper saying everything he does is wrong." But what we have told him is that they can only do to him what we allow them to do. If it comes down to pulling him out of school and never going back, so be it, but we would like that to be our last resort. Either he goes back to the general population in January or he comes back to homeschool. And if he comes home, the admin will come to view us as a real pain in their asses.

I Are Smart

So this is what I have been doing instead of blogging.

(via Annoyed Librarian)

Here's What I Need....

1. More time.
2. Less spam.
3. Clothes that fit.
4. And for sales-people of every ilk to realize that El Paso is on Mountain Time, not Central time like the REST of Texas!!!!!

I'll blog again when I get #2.