Cloister Commentary, Day 342: Erasures

The thing about those screaming for schools to reopen fully: how come they weren’t screaming to get teachers vaccinated early so they could, more safely? Because teachers do want to teach, in person–badly. Shows you where those screamers’ priorities are. There’s a damn lot of folks who aren’t too concerned with the health of anyone, as long as they’re ok, Jack.

I spent most of the morning reading military history and being introduced to writer Charles Blow’s proposal for a reverse Great Migration southward (check out his book The Devil You Know), most of the afternoon picking up, assembling, and testing my new-dangled CPAP machine and BiPap mask. The thought of wearing it every night for a long, long time makes me fret against the imperfection and deterioration of my body, but it is supposed to improve my energy and memory as well as my respiration.

For movie night, Nicole and I finally checked out Shaka King’s film about Fred Hampton’s assassination by the FBI, Judas and The Black Messiah (currently on HBO Max). We knew the history pretty well, and were impressed by the acting and filmmaking, but one had best be fortified when taking it in. Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, MLK, Hampton–all tragically erased from this plane within the space of six years of the 1960s, and at least one of them by government and law enforcement.

Streaming for Strivers:

Any time is the right time for Mr. Mayfield. This time in particular.

Cloister Commentary, Day 341: Coup De Grace

Work was a mite slow. I was able to complete one of my teacher intern’s evaluations–they are both really passionate and skilled!–before my tutoring hours began, and after that the highlight was a very enlightening webinar on ungendering the workplace. I was happy to offer a comment that was not dunderheaded!

My mom has been feeling better (a terrific birthday present), and she texted me yesterday to confirm she and some siblings and cousins are taking a road trip to Dallas to see my Aunt Patricia (make that Trish). Everyone involved, I believe, will have been fully vaccinated, and this is something that, under the circumstances of ’20-’21, she really needs.

In this house, we celebrate each other’s birthday all week long. The cookies were finally gone, but Nicole served up the coup de grace for dinner: delicious veggie stuffed peppers (by request)! She also kindly authorized a musical purchase. My resolution has suffered a couple shots to the torso, but is intending to be mending post-birth-a-versary.

In the evening, we finished The Durrells. Any suggestions for our next series binge?

Streaming for Strivers:

This isn’t a full album, but it’s longer than some, and it recently converted me to the wiles of this artist I just couldn’t seem to connect with.

Cloister Commentary, Day 340: I Love Capri

Started a few new books by folks last name of Le Carré, Blow, and Smarsh. Bodes well.

Observed the first lesson of a teacher intern I’m supervising at Battle. She was relaxed yet organized, precise and enthusiastic; she was knowledgeable yet open to student ideas; she navigated a synchronous classroom (virtual AND in-seat) with ease. And her first lesson was the same as mine was back in January ’84: Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath” tale–she, too, took a vocabulary sidetrack for students on the word “maidenhead,” but she was more chill (as they say) than I was.

Nicole and I went for another walk–what a beauty of a day!–but were somewhat distracted by our still seeking a COVID shot: she’s in-person with students four days a week, I have a heart condition that’s going to require a procedure in May. My phone pinged the minute we stepped back in the house: the state invited me to the Isle of Capri, but for something better than gambling. This time I didn’t mess up the appointment. Now, for my loved one….

Streaming for Strivers:

Brief but durably soulful.

Cloister Commentary, Day 339: The Show

Yesterday was my 59th birthday. The main observation I have to make is that time gushes on, and you need to make the most of your days and oppose forces that strive to turn others’ days into misery. It’s not a rehearsal; it is the show.

We started the day with some meditation, I dug in again to Ibram X. Kendo’s How to Be an Anti-Racist and finished it. I highly recommend it; it’s delivered revelation after revelation to me, and I’d previously thought I knew something. Nicole made some delicious turkey, mushroom, and pepper cheese melts that were so good we had them for lunch and dinner. We also liberated our back-deck duo Beebs and Gold from the garage, where we’d created a shelter for them against the frigidity that’s finally lifted.

Speaking of getting back into the sunshine, the best thing we did was get out of the house and onto the Stephens Lake Park trail. The weather was beautiful and fresh air like a drug. February has seemed like a month in captivity.

Sheepish admission I may have subconsciously left out of my last few commentaries: As much complaint as I’ve made about not being able to get vaccinated against COVID, I had a chance Friday to get a shot in Versailles, and accidentally closed the scheduling browser trying to look at a map, which recorded me as having passed on the opportunity. Then Sunday I received two separate invitations to get vaccinated in Boonville, but I was having so much fun in my birthday Zoom I didn’t look at my phone for five hours, and by the time I did, the slots had been filled. So I’m gonna be quiet about it for awhile!

Streaming for Strivers:

Ahhhh, celebrations…

Cloister Commentary, Day 338: Zoom Birthday Party

I’m hard to surprise. The multiple early birthday wishes should have been a hint; I assumed it was a social media glitch. But yesterday–the day before my birthday–Nicole set up an open Zoom from noon to five for my friends to pop in and say howdy. I had no idea what she was up to, but it was perfect, because, as I mentioned yesterday, a TV scene had really made me miss the (live) feeling of being in the midst of a bunch of interesting, funny, lively humans. I “saw” a great cyberfriend for the first time; I enjoyed a mini-reunion with two fond high school friends; I received a birthday serenade from Jacqueline Kelly; I convened with counselors and principals (one of the latter interviewed the other back in the day, didn’t hire him, but I guess he showed her (😂)–they were in the Zoom at the same time, so that was a wonderfully but gracefully humorous moment!); I hung out with my brother, aunt, and uncle; the first people to arrive were a wonderful couple of old marrieds who we’d be pestering every week if they lived here in Columbia; a fellow teacher and I reminisced about our very different teacher training activities; my most rock-and-rollin’ former student got to meet my most rock-and-rollin’ best buddy. I could go on–it was definitely one of my favorite birthday presents of all-time, and I recommend it! (We didn’t get Ken and Charles in the same room–they get the magic of birthdays, believe me–but there’s always next year.

We had so much fun were almost too tired to eat dinner! I usually mentally lash myself if I don’t read or listen to a record or two each day, but I was too pleasantly drained to even skim the paper, so “Men in Kilts,” SNL, and “All Creatures Great and Small” had to do. Especially “Men in Kilts”….

Streaming for Strivers:

…it’s my birthday, too (continued from yesterday). Into the morning.

Cloister Commentary, Day 336: Restlessness

Early in the morning, I learned that a former student of mine had been killed, and another former student of mine was allegedly involved. Not a happy start. Teaching the former when she was 12 and the latter when he was 15, I had excellent experiences with both. I last saw the victim early last year when our paths crossed at Gerbes; as usual, she was full of enthusiasm and kindness. My heart is with her family and friends. The loss is a shocking one.

I was so restless for a project and a distraction that I engaged in something really pointless: I emptied my 16g iPod Nano (we have three MP3 players, and they are each meticulously programmed with a completely different set of folders of music–madness, I know), then refilled it with all the “miscellaneous” folders of single tracks I’ve created in each genre folder on my external drive. On top of those, I dragged in some of my favorite various artist comps. I did not create any folders; my intention was to create a random jukebox of favorite but not necessarily famous songs. As soon as I was finished, I was immediately unsatisfied. Back to tinkering today. I didn’t even try it out.

When Nicole got home from school, we made up for our postponed Valentine’s Day with a Shakespeare’s pizza, some homemade vanilla ice milk, and both a new and an old movie: Nomadland and Thelma and Louise. Two terrific road movies–we didn’t plan that–that are seemingly quite different but with strong similarities at their hearts.

Streaming for Survivors:

Why hadn’t I heard of this until this morning?

Cloister Commentary, Day 335: COVID Snow Day

Nicole had a snow day. In a COVID mode, they ain’t quite the same, but I enjoyed having her home, and? She did excellent work anyway! Like 98.6% of the teachers I’ve known, she really cares about her students, and that feeling doesn’t just turn off when she has a day off. On a pretty consistent basis, she makes me wish I was still in the game full-time! Then I remember how I loved grading 125 essays at a time….

I spent much of the day immersed in great writing about rap and race. Because Nicole was indeed working, I couldn’t really bring the jams, but I have De La, Stetsa, and Digable Planets in the changer for today. And some folks known as Spillage Village.

Kurbside Kudos to Barred Owl Butcher for their stellar service and their medianoche sandwich, pimiento smashburger, and sour dough bread pudding! We celebrate each other’s birthday for at least a whole week, so it clearly has begun.

Also, thanks to my cousin Jenifer and our pal Isaac for directing us to the Lost & Found Grief Center.

Streaming for Strivers:

So long, Prince Markie Dee.

Cloister Commentary, Day 334: 4WD

I had never before piloted a four-wheel drive vehicle, but, due to the additional snow and our need to get one of our cats her feline leukemia booster shots, I locked in the Chevy Silverado I inherited from my dad and had a smooth trip to and from the vet on pretty nasty roads. I thought it was going to be complicated but it was easier than shifting gears. I’m not a car guy. Even less a truck guy, though I’ve driven one for over a quarter century.

After the urology lab kind of forgot about the results of my month-ago prostate biopsy, I finally got the results: negative. Cool! I asked why my PSA levels were so high, then. “We don’t know.” Oh. Follow-up in August.

Started up a Facebook fundraiser to benefit the Equal Justice Initiative for my birthday. EJI is primarily dedicated to providing high-quality legal representation to individuals unjustly incarcerated or otherwise unfairly trapped in the legal system–plus the memorial the organization has established in Montgomery, Alabama, to recognize the victims of the thousands of lynchings that have been perpetrated on this land is powerful.

Dinner was Parmesan portabellos, fresh spinach, and baked potatoes. We finally finished the gargantuan batch of cookies Nicole made–just in time for the Girl Scout cookies we bought from our wonderful lil’ neighbor.

My former student from eons ago, Alex Pulley, tagged me in a post: when I taught him and his gang of dudes as Parkview ninth graders, I frequently made them mixtapes. Alex, now middle-agéd, just discovered The Minutemen (accurately referred to by my friend Mike Rayhill as “The Minutestuds”) and couldn’t understand why I’d not hipped them back in the ’80s. I responded with several comments and replies in rat-a-tat fashion without waiting for responses. Once your teacher, always your teacher, dude….

Streaming for Strivers:

Owed T’Alex (that allusion’s a nudge in another musical direction)….

Cloister Commentary, Day 333: Clear and Partially Covered

We’d been snowed in away from home for four days, visiting Mom and helping her out, and it was time to make a move. Our cats were likely close to be running out of food (we hadn’t planned on being gone quite that long), I’m never sure about the plumbing in this house, and Nicole and I each had some urgent business to deal with in Columbia. Trouble was, as we sank into sleep Monday night, the entire 220-some miles of highway we’d have to travel was, according to MODOT, covered or partially covered with snow, and the temps were hitting their lowest–and that was low.

Between my dreams of talking to (then fleeing) a school shooter and visiting with Rebecca Wimer-Pisano and her husband Frank in their nomadic pop-up trailer about what movie we were going to go see (and never deciding), I dreamed we slid off I-44 into a snow drift in the median and kept slowly sliding toward the oncoming lane. I only had t-shirt, socks, and slippers on, but all I could think about was…cats. Seriously, we’d had a couple of vehicular adventures on ice and snow we did not want to repeat–and those were on torrid 20-degree days. My stomach was churning as we backed out of Mom’s drive way.

Most of the 220-some miles were clear; maybe a third were partially covered, with at least one lane going our way clear. We poured a gallon of Mardi Gras music into our ears as accelerant for our relief. The cats and pipes were fine, though they’d rearranged all of our area rags and redecorated with some well-placed hairballs. Also, Chad Ferguson, the son of our good friends Denise and Dennis, sent me his band’s new vinyl record for my (upcoming) birthday, which was leaning against the front door when we hit the top of our steps.

It’s hard being separated from family by many miles in these times, especially when they’re hurting. Thanks again, and always, to the chosen wing of our family structure: the Carlin, Dickens, and Garrett families (plus Jeanne, Kathy, and Jerry). And to a biological wing that’s closer geographically than we are, the Hague and Insley families. Completely without hyperbole, we could not be doing this without you.

Streaming for Strivers:

Also leaning against my front door when we returned, a vinyl copy of this great documentary project from the 1970s, recorded by Bloods author Wallace Terry. Black oral history.

Cloister Commentary, Day 332: Lundi Gras Workout

Ahhhh, intense, sustained physical activity! I’d truly missed it. Despite the possibility that I would feel crippled in the aftermath from 99% muscular atrophy, I shoveled a long, two-car driveway, accompanying sidewalk, and a bit of curb yesterday. And survived! I’m not even that sore as I thumb this out. One of three highlights of the day.

Second highlight: Nicole, Mom and I got caught up with David Letterman’s Netflix interview show by checking out his powerful conversations with Dave Chappelle (that dude is inspiringly thoughtful and eloquent offstage!) and Ellen DeGeneres (her journey’s been even more inspiring than I knew). We also dug DeGeneres’ recent Netflix special.

Third highlight: my good friend from NOLA, Clifford Ocheltree, called me on the phone–on the phone!!!–to wish me a happy birthday (it’s still pretty early, but also still welcome). He brought me up to speed on his mayor’s struggles with Mardi Gras and COVID, his continued genealogical deep-dive, which connects to Columbia, and the fascinating historical humans John Hay and Claude King. He packed all that in to about 30 minutes.

Streaming for Strivers:

It’s Mardi Gras–do what you wanna, to a point?