Sunday, August 02, 2009

I now know his name

A long time ago--gosh, I forgot how long I have been doing this blog--I put in some of the bad poems I wrote back in high school. In May 2005, I posted them: http://mjb0123.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_archive.html.

Then interestingly, one of them came back to my mind today. It appears I now know "his name."


V
This is a poem I wrote after I learned of the first American casualty
during Desert Storm. I found it amazing that the name wasn't included in the
article.
V
(On January 17, 1991)
There is a man I know not of
Yet his death is everything.
To war he went
And great pride did bring.

There is a man I heard of
His death nothing yet everything.
To war he went
To America he did sing.

There is a man the world now knows
Following only the orders of the game.
To war he went
Yet I don't even know his name.


Today while watching Fox News, it appears that his name may be Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher. The article is here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536170,00.html. His info can be found simply on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Speicher.

I am somehow unburdened by knowing his name. It seemed to weigh on me, now that I know the answer. I remember writing the poem, as bad as it is, yet with full heart on the bravery and sacrifice of this man. Whatever article I read when I wrote it, I thought somehow it was horrible that the name wasn't there. It seemed the first of many unnamed casulaties, which made it even worse. I mean, even now, we don't know the names of the men and women who die for our freedom. Who was the second to die in the first Gulf War? Does dying second diminish the sacrifice (a resounding "NO!" screams in my head).

In January 1991, I was turning 18 in my senior year of high school. Talk of a draft circulated. My mother even said how I wouldn't go. And I remember thinking to myself that I would go if my number were called.

Now I know his name. It hit me back then and it hits me today. This guy was a hero. I am glad that knowledge has burdened me because it has always made me remember the sacrifice.

Rest in peace. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Some media

RAN




Sanjuro and yojimbo




Funny bones




pollinators



tripods

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Donkey Kong

Meet the Ape of Steve Weibe's Nightmares

COMING SOON! If you've seen the documentary King of Kong, you may be aware of the fierce competition between Billy Mitchell and Steve Weibe for the top score in the original Donkey Kong video game. While we don't have first-hand knowledge of this, we assume that the face of apes like this Meet the Ape of Steve Weibe's Nightmares. Nintendo Donkey Kong 12-Inch Vinyl Figure probably haunt their dreams while they compete and train to be the best of the best. He can sit on your nightstand and stare you down while you sleep, or just look cool on your desk.

Meet the Ape of Steve Weibe's Nightmares Nintendo Donkey Kong 12-Inch Vinyl Figure

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Set your phasers on stunning...



Get Your Star Trek: The Next Generation Phasers
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
COMING SOON! We're at a bit of a loss as to the best lead for today's news. For example, we could say, "Step right up and get the weapon of choice for the Picard generation!" We could also say, "Behold! The final accessory for your Halloween costume after you grow Jonathan Frakes' beard!" Either way, the really important thing is that you see this Rubies Star Trek The Next Generation Phaser, which looks just like the Dustbuster-style weapon from the show. Fine late-1980s engineering and design show you the weapon of the future, as envisioned during Reagan's America. Don't miss out-- order yours today!

Star Trek The Next Generation Phaser

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Obama cartoon #1



Saying "We're sorry" may not be the brightest move right now, what with North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iraq.
I am of the opinion that America voted for the rock star. I still don't think he had any experience in any of these matters. He is acting like I did my first year of teaching. I just hope he gets better in his career as I did in mine.
Some of these politcal cartoonists have started to show this. The love affair is over.

Americans Against Food Taxes


It is not enough simply to recognize that Washington, D.C.’s intended tax on soda and juice drinks is unnecessary, regressive and discriminatory; all hard-working Americans must also declare that this tax hike is unacceptable…as in, we reject it outright. It cannot be enacted. We won’t stand for it.

This soda and juice drink tax goes against our interests and our wishes…and it’s our responsibility to tell Washington we won’t stand for it.

We must act, and we must act now if we are to prevent this discriminatory and destructive tax from being made law.

Fill in your information below and we will automatically send the following message to your legislators in Washington, D.C. You may also edit the message below before you hit send.



Click the link below to take action on this issue.:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/forward/nyagainst247390.aspx

Darth Vader flash drive!



Take Advantage of Darth Vader's Memory

COMING SOON! He has 2 GB worth, after all. The Star Wars Darth Vader 2GB USB Flash Drive features a removable noggin, and underneath is a USB connector, ready to store all your music, movies, chicken recipes, homework, smut, or other digital what have you.
Funko has several of these nifty devices on deck, including a Twilight 2GB USB Flash Drive and an Iron Man 2GB USB Flash Drive.

Star Wars Darth Vader 2 GB USB Flash Drive

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

An Obituary for a Gamecube

Yeah, I know it's old, but we still had a Nintendo Gamecube. It was still awesome and a great gaming platform. It had Mario Kart for Pete's sake.

No, it didn't die from use or anything. It disappeared.

We moved recently, right? Well, we hired a couple of guys to help us get that heavy stuff down those three flights of stairs. I couldn't do it alone. I am not the strapping young lad I once was. We paid Labor Ready for a couple of guys to help us load up the truck. Turns out, it was a great use of money. Otherwise, we probably still would be moving bits and pieces.

I packed the Gamecub almost last. I was in the middle of like my tenth season in franchise mode for Madden 2007. I packed the console and the twenty or so games in a small white box and wrote "Nintendo" on the outside in magic marker.

I think one of those two guys walked off with it.

I am not 100% sure, mind you. I am 99.8% sure. It's been three weeks and we have not come across the box. There simply is just no other place it can be. We are all unpacked now. Plus, I have deliberately searched for the Gamecube alone. I'm off for the summer; I have time.

Maybe one of those guys thought it was a Wii or something. I would love to have seen his face when he opened it and said, "Damn, it's only a Gamecube."

And I gave those guys a healthy tip too. They earned that money, that's for sure, but they didn't earn my Gamecube.

So goodbye Gamecube. And Matt Butcher, Running Back for the Chicago Bears ho broke every single rushing record in NFL history on that Madden 2007 franchise, is retiring in peace.

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Lost Tapes of the Moon Landing

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_sc/us_sci_moon_video;_ylt=AjcuwobLS3PDw2R6g1BRgf8DW7oF

NASA says it must have taped over the original footage. Possibly the greatest achievement of mankind and it taped over them!

What's funny is that so many people think that footage was faked anyway. I wonder if there was new pressure for those tapes so they became "lost." This way, new technology could not debunk the authenticity of the tapes.

I love conspiracy theories.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

We want to succeed

During summer school, I have the chance to catch up on my academic reading. Some ACT reports on college readiness and some other journal articles. I have to know what these places think of my English classroom.



However, I dislike the sweeping, broad strokes of disapproval without having much specific concrete steps on what teachers should be doing. I am one of those teachers who, if you tell me the kids need this stuff, I will put it into the curriculum. If you tell me to make sure a process is taught, I will teach it. If you tell me to take something out, I will do it. This year, I will be adding more grammar in the fall. I will be adding some more writing responses with specific requirements, especially for my new college-prep English I class. I will be adding more requirements to stuff we already do.



But what am I missing? I do not have a degree in pedagogy or English curriculum. I do not have all the answers. For instance, I am still trying to work out what the heck to do for a book report for independent reading that is rigorous, accountable, and that the kids can’t get off the internet or Sparknotes. I would love to have students read a classic on their own, but how do I know that they have read the book and didn’t just take it all off a movie or Sparknotes? Just give them a boring multiple choice test? There’s always a kid or several who figure out a way around it. I have tried everything—that I know of. I think this is rather pertinent—“That I know of.”



These studies want students to succeed. My district and I want our kids to succeed. I believe that the vast majority of our students succeed and try hard in everything they do. I have had two wonderful freshman classes in a row. The hard part, sometimes, is fighting apathy and recalcitrant students. Some students do every other 10-point assignment. Some must be mathematical geniuses in figuring out how to get the lowest D- possible, doing the least amount of work. There were times this last year with my regular senior English IV class that I could not understand the requirement of four years of English for these students. Even the good ones in that class still did only enough. When they still like to read the novel together in class rather than on their own, even silently during class time, simply because they hate reading, what can I do at this late stage?



Sometimes, grades do not matter to students. I find it excruciating when I have written on a paper of theirs, they look at the final grade of a C or something, then throw it away. Even after all my comments, they throw it away without looking. Even if they have the opportunity to turn in another draft, the standard phrase nowadays is “I’m good.” I actually had it once where I forgot the papers at home yet still had their grades in the computer. All they wanted to know was what the grade was. They never followed up to get their papers back. Even the F papers. How do I increase rigor here when they will not look upon recommendations for improvement?



So when this study came across my desk, I want some more specifics:



“For example, graduation requirements are often expressed in terms of credits (e.g., the amount of credits in various subject areas needed to graduate), rather than as specific academic courses (Potts et al., 2002). To the extent that high schools offer courses other than those in the college preparatory sequences, students may satisfy graduation requirements (i.e., amount of credits) without taking the specific courses that would best prepare them for further education (and work). That students choose such alternative coursework is clearly demonstrated in the percentages of students who took course combinations that may or may not have included the courses previously described.”



--from Courses Count: Preparing Students for Postsecondary Success, ACT Policy Report, 2005. http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/CoursesCount.pdf.



Potts, A., Blank, R. K., & Williams, A. (2002). Key state education policies on K-12 education: 2002. Washington , DC : Council of Chief State Schools Officers.



Of course they are going to choose basketweaving if it will fulfill a requirement. I remember my college writing course, I believe it was ENG 384 with Dr. Bruce Leland. He was an outstanding teacher and we all liked going to his class. I even helped him present to the IATE convention back in 1995. His class required three of these little flimsy paperback books, about $12 each, that included supplemental reading for discussion. We never talked about them and we were never tested over them. Nobody read them—I remember one girl did and she was furious that they were not used in any way for the course. Now, I am sure those were decent and thought-provoking reads. I am sure they enhanced the subject material. But come on, who the heck is going to do more than they have to do? And we were third-year college students trying to get ahead. A high school student will figure out the easiest possible way. We do it all the time. I read the Cliffs Notes for many books.



I honestly believe some students have figured out that they don’t have to strain themselves to get by. I had some English IV kids that could easily have taken the College Prep class of English IV but didn’t want to do the extra work. I know some math students are taking Pre-Algebra in their senior year because they have messed around enough to fulfill the simple requirements. And if they look bad in math, they don’t have to do as much.



Now this whole thing did come back to haunt me once. I remember Mr. Hickey’s Algebra I and II classes. We had 30-question problem sets every night for homework. Catch—he would only grade 4 randomly chosen problems. We would write down what we had on our paper for those 4 and turn them in. I learned that I didn’t even have to do the homework—just writ down all the problems (because we couldn’t use our books) and do them in class really quickly. I aced. Problem was that he knew it but couldn’t figure out a way around me. Then comes College Algebra and I am barely getting Cs. I just couldn’t hack it anymore. He said to me once, “This is because you never did all your homework in Algebra I and II so you don’t have a firm foundation.” I was getting straight As in Algebra I and II but somehow I wasn’t doing enough. You couldn’t have explained it to me at that age though. I only understand it now, many years later.



The other problem I see with some of this data is that they recommend taking math classes and science classes that most students do not take until their senior year. Yes, they are planning on taking them, but that doesn’t really help when they take the ACT at the end of their junior year, now does it?



Also, I would really like to point out that some students never take these tests seriously. Maybe not the ACT, but any of the other reporting data tests. Eighth graders know that the test doesn’t affect them in any way that they can see, so they go through it fast or not as completely as they probably could. I remember, I think my sophomore year, Matt Adrian connecting the dots on his standardized test just so that he could finish early and read his latest Stephen King novel. Nobody ever said he was stupid in school. He just knew that the test did not affect him. How do we express to kids that their score is going to be lumped into some vast set of data to be interpreted by bureaucrats and people that they have never even heard of, let alone what the heck a “bureaucrat” is.



So what exactly do I do? I mean, exactly. No, they don’t have to give me daily step-by-step lesson plans. I do want them, however, to express specific items in assignments that I can concentrate on.



My answer to most of this is to tell people to stop telling me what we are doing wrong. Start telling me what to do right. When you say to increase rigor: HOW? When you say to get students ready for college: HOW?



My biggest thing: Why the heck does each district have to reinvent the wheel here? In fifty states, in countless districts and classrooms, we have not figured out precisely what to do? There has to be some perfect model for rigor and college readiness—present it to us. I would be happy to work with it. But I simply cannot create it on my own.



Or, if I do, I guess I would be rich. Because I would sell it and you would all pay me.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Evony

Play EVONY online and build your own city! Browser game! No download!

http://mjb0123.evony.com/

Email me for a code at mjb0123@yahoo.com

Summer School

Ah, yes, teaching summer school. Cramming a whole semester into two weeks. Ahh. Just seems like America, eh?

It’s good money though. I have the kids working hard, with a set list of things to accomplish. And I just sit back and help when they need it. The only hard part is the grading, especially the worksheets. Takes forever to grade those.

However, to keep me sane at home, I have found several awesome browser-based internet games that are sort of like Age of Empires.

Evony at http://mjb0123.evony.com/


Travian at http://www.travian.us/


EV Online (a space game!) at http://www.supremestrategy.com/


I love turn-based games. I actually played a bit of postal games where you mailed in your moves. Did one about gangs—can’t remember the name—and plenty of postal chess. The cool thing with these games is that you can update your city and it works while you are away. You only have to login every once in a while, if you want.

Friends from NOME! The Wehdes came by to visit us for the week. The were in Minnesota anyway visiting family and since Morgan has really kept up with the two girls by IM and email, they came down to visit.

And I am going to do volleyball again. Head Varsity coach for Midland High School. I must be nuts. No, I’m kidding, it will be a great time. Actually, probably a better time than Nome considering the away travel in Alaska every weekend. I will only have two Saturdays here. That’s what I think was so long about the Nome season is that it was almost seven days a week every week.
There’s a schedule! http://www.highschoolsports.net/defaultcal.cfm?ct=s&schoolid=IL613752657&spt=18&lvl=1&division=2

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Found Rare Hitchcock

Found it!

http://www.archive.org/details/Suspicion_1_01_Four_O_clock

I have been looking for this off and on for years. In my quest to watch all Hitchcock-directed movies and TV shows, I finally found a copy of this TV episode. It is from a show called Suspicion from 1960, an episode entitled "Four O'Clock."

It is now in Public Domain and available for download at the Internet Archive. They also have a few more of his films.

Now I just need to keep working on finding some of his really early and really rare stuff to watch.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Moving yet again

We are so excited for the move this weekend.

No, not to another state! We are moving about 45 miles north of Normal, to one of the three towns in my school district, Lacon.

Just very excited to be in a house, finally. And I will not have that long commute anymore.

I will even be coaching volleyball again in the fall because I will be close and in-district.

Excited about the move, yet hate moving. Friday will be the tough day and then it is all settling in from there.

Outrage over Arlen Specter

I've been thinking about this for weeks.



The GOP, specifically Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an email (4/28/09) newsletter, "Arlen Specter has put his loyalty to his own political career above his duty to his state and nation."

The newsletter also says, "As recently as April 9th, Senator Specter said he would run in the Pennsylvania primary next year as a Republican."

I don't care what Arlen Specter does. He's not my Senator. However, I do think that he is wrong for changing parties in the middle of a term.



I honestly think that is dirty. That is wrong. If he wanted to change--fine. But he needed to wait until the next election cycle. He needs to go through the primary with full disclosure.



I believe the people of that state have a class action lawsuit on their hands--either fraud or bait-and-switch.



Many times when I have voted, I have been able to vote strictly by party--in fact, in many places, you cannot vote in the primary of another party. Also, how many times have people voted without really knowing who was who and voting strictly along party lines? I admit to this, especially on some of those "lesser" elections, like judges or comptrollers, where there is a dearth of information even in local papers. I am willing to bet that some people in that state voted for Specter solely based on party.


So voting for one party clearly does not mean anything anymore if the person can switch in the middle.



Which brings up my own little conspiracy theory--what if one party decided to run "moles" in each primary? Especially in smaller venues? If they put personable people in both primaries or elections, win, and then change later?



Scary, ain't it?



I just think the whole thing lessens and cheapens the vote. If I vote for someone based on their stances, and they switch their agenda in the middle of a term, I believe that to be wrong. If the President got up today and said he was becoming Republican, I would welcome outrage. It just isn't right.



Even if the politician voted for issues differently than constituents expected based on party affiliations, that's fine. That's understandable to vote singly on separate issues. But you don't change your whole party affiliation in the middle of a term. It's not right and I believe that those constituents have a class action bait-and-switch lawsuit.

http://www.gop.com/

Monday, June 22, 2009

Which one? Kindle or Reader?





I just don't know which one to get. Which do I save for? I really really want one of these babies.

It's because I know there are all sorts of free books out there. Legitimately free. Places like Gutenberg and Munseys (formerly Blackmask) have all the copyright-expired books and texts out there. I'd never have to buy a book again!

So I need to figure out a way to save about $350 and not dip into our budget...How?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

They don't have a clue

You know what pisses me off?

Tonight, the SciFi Channel is playing two James Bond movies, Tomorrow Never Dies and Live and Let Die.

These are good movies. I love James Bond. Not only do I watch the movies but I read the novels (the new non-Fleming ones too). But putting these on SciFi?

There is so much good science fiction out there that they never play. Old Doctor Who, Space:1999, old Lost in Space...flipping any old science fiction, any new science fiction. And, hey, REAL science fiction, not those strange monster-attack movies they make that I just never want to see.

SciFi, Dammit!

Save Arecibo

Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radio telescope and the source for the SETI@home data that your computer analyzes, faces massive budget cuts that will END its ability to continue the search for life beyond Earth. The decision to ensure full funding currently rests upon votes in Congress on Senate Bill S.2862 and House Resolution H.R. 3737. These bills desperately need more support.

Please take a moment to help us SAVE ARECIBO. Clicking the link below will direct you to a web page that allows you to print out letters prepared for your Senators and Congressional Representative urging them to support Arecibo. Printing and mailing the letters is really easy, too! You will also have the chance to add a few personal thoughts, if you wish, to let your Senators and Representative know why this funding is important to you! And if you're really feeling passionate about saving Arecibo, please use these letters as the basis for letters you write yourself, urging your congressmen and women to vote to save Arecibo. Because our representatives in Congress rarely give much attention to all the email they receive, printing out and MAILING these letters via standard U.S.Postal mail remains our best option for contacting them and our best hope forsaving Arecibo (The second best option is to call your representatives). Your stamps on these letters could help us get the millions of dollars needed to save Arecibo. Our search cannot continue without the necessary support. Your work, as SETI@home participants, represents an indispensable resource for conducting the search. Now, we need your help to ensure that our other most valuable resource- our eyes and ears to the cosmos - can continue to probe the universe as we seek to answer the question: Is there anybody out there?

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/arecibo_letter.php

Thank you for your help,
The SETI@home Team

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Bases Loaded







BASES LOADED on the original Nintendo! I spent hours upon hours playing this game.
Look at it, though. It is so bad compared to modern day standards. Yet it was phenomenal when compared with what we were used to with Atari and Intellivision baseball games. I remember on the Intellivision game there were no fly-outs and my dad and I could routinely make a 9-3 play (right-fielder to first base) for the out.
I played my seasons with the team called Jersey. This game was not licensed by the MLB. The best hitter was "the godly" Paste, who at .467 and 60 home runs was "good for at least one homer a game (provided you can get the lumber on the ball)" (GameFAQs.com). Also there was one pitcher who I figured out some kind of in-game cheat without any codes. The pitcher was Hall and somehow I figured out there was one pitch--up-and-in switch quick to low-and-out--that I could throw every single time and get the batter to swing and miss. I routinely got 27 straight strikeouts. As a kid, I thought that if the game allowed it, considering it wasn't really a cheat code, that I could do it. Hall didn't even need to rest. This was on the original Nintendo remember, where you had to use these long drawn out codes to save the game. Hall played every game. Eventually, it got boring on the defense side of the ball. I only liked hitting. There was no post-season, either, just making it to the post-season, and then that was it.
I think I only played one season of 80 games and then was bored with it. It was one of those games that I mastered and didn't mean to. You used to be able to do that. Master a game at the highest level and it became boring. I believe I had the first 18-or-so boards of Intellivision's Burgertime memorized. I also remember some original Nintendo basketball game, also not licensed by the NBA, that I used to have to beat by 100 points, something like 110-10, in order to make it a challenge for me. Eventually, I felt stupid playing a game I was whooping on by 100 points.
So I probably should have changed my team on Bases Loaded so as not to be tempted by using Hall to pitch. But I did it a couple of times and whenever I would get into trouble I would put Hall in as the ultimate Save pitcher. I mean, I simply could not miss with that guy.
Amazingly, I still think of Bases Loaded. Doing a season was cool, just like doing my Franchise with my Gamecube Madden 2007. It is the year 2017 in my Madden right now.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

One of the earliest pictures


Family friends since the beginning. The Baltas and the Butchers. The rumor is that my mom was playing her radio too loud (would've been disco, by the way) and Linda came to tell her to turn it down. They have been the closest of friends ever since. Casey and I are only a month apart. This photo was taken at Brookfield Zoo.

Hembeck




Summer vacation

Nothing doing. Doing nothing. Haven't even been online for six months. It has been refreshing.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I voted today

I voted today.

Our polling place was the local police station right across the street from our apartment complex. I walked there. Watching the news this morning while sipping my cup of coffee, it said that Illinois polls opened at 6 am. I ran to take care of that before work.

I wasn’t the first in line. Probably 20th or so. I still waited about 20 minutes to get my name accounted for and my ballot. They had only so many privacy slots available. Altogether it took me about half an hour.

While I was in line, I stood amazed for a moment as I realized the implications of what we were doing. We were voting.

I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with all sorts of different races, both genders, probably different religious backgrounds, landowners and non-landowners. We were citizens. In a country where too often we take this right to vote for granted, we were all proud to be there.
Sometimes I think we forget the hard-fought battle some have had, that women have only been voting for roughly 90 years, African-Americans since the 15th Amendment in 1870 (although I bet you could argue that even then this right wasn’t committed to for years), poll taxes finally abolished in 1964 with the 24th Amendment, 18-year-olds in 1971.

People have died for this right. It’s what made us become the United States of America—representation. Even this past year, in Zimbabwe for instance, there has been documented that opposing political parties have been taken at gunpoint and told to drop out of elections.

Whatever the outcome, we all voted. There will beno real coercion. There will be an easy exchange of power.

Zimbabwe and the Inauguration

Today we usher in a new era in America--the forty-fourth President of the United States.



First of all, I have to admit that he is not my guy. I think he is too leftist and I am worried that taxes, yes, even my meager, mediocre teacher-salary taxes, will go up. I do not believe in a lot of Democratic-party ideals.



But all in all, it is a great country. It could be like the political manhandling going on in Zimbabwe:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090119/ap_on_re_af/af_zimbabwe;_ylt=As.mkUstsW5ivqXywQxVHam96Q8F

Because, through it all, this was a free election. This will be a peaceful transfer of power. Any way you look at it, that must be a good thing. Because there are places like Zimbabwe that unwittingly become examples for when I teach the novel 1984 that places with totalitarian governments still exist in our world.

Friday, January 16, 2009

http://www.alongstoryshort.net/TheLogicoftheTimeTravel.html

My story, "The Logic of the Time Travel," was officially accepted for publishing at the E-Zine A Long Story Short.

"Dear Matt, Your story, The Logic of the Time Travel, was accepted for our January issue. I sent you an email from writingfriend@yahoo.com It probably went to your junk folder. The magazine will come out around the 7th."

Did I originally have that second "the" in the title?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Be seeing you, Mr. McGoohan


Patrick McGoohan has passed away.


This man changed my way of thinking--of thinking being good for the soul. Of asking questions and probably not getting answers, but the questions are what are important.


McGoohan played Number Six in my all-time favorite TV show The Prisoner from the BBC of the late 60s. He is the mastermind creator behind that television masterpiece. I just got the 10-disc DVD box set for Christmas just this past month. Rumor has it, he was also set to be the first James Bond, before Sean Connery, but he didn't like the womanizing aspect of the character. He also played the king in Braveheart.
The Prisoner impacted my life at just the right time. I was still in high school. I had been watching and recording Doctor Who (the old one, way back when) on the PBS channel out of Chicago, WTTW. It was on at like 11 pm on Sunday nights and they were putting it on hiatus--something about money, you know PBS stations. They decided to try the then-twenty-year old show The Prisoner at Doctor Who's time slot. The previews, with that big white weather balloon, intrigued me enough to keep my VCR going. I was hopeful for a new show. I still have those exact VHS tapes.
I fell in love with the show. You have to remember the time period of the late 80s and the fall of communism and that I knew what an "Iron Curtain" was. I was reading/would read/had read (can't remember) Orwell's prophetic 1984. This is still one of the reasons that I choose to do that book with my seniors as the last thing they read in high school--sort of prepare them for the real world and its questions out there.
I will still watch The Prisoner for the rest of my life. I have seen the episodes dozens of times and each time they appear fresh, especially the really mind-blowing ones.
If I had ever met Mr. McGoohan, I would not have asked stupid questions. I would not have asked about the "order of episodes" or "what does it all mean?" This is the show that got me--the comic-book me, the sci-fi me, the continuity-of-fictional-universes me--to realize how deep an allegory could go. As Number Six said in the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben": "It means what it is." That still takes a deep understanding, especially in the final episode and the unmasking of Number One.
I I had ever met Mr. McGoohan, I would simply have said, "Thank you." I would have told him that he had broadened my mind, like Shakespeare and Tennyson. I think he would have appreciated that.
Be seeing you, Mr. McGoohan.

TWO Snow Days!

Yes! A lot of snow and a deep freeze hit Illinois. School was cancelled yesterday and I woke up to the pleasant thought of a second day off because of the temperatures not getting above zero today.

Woo hoo! TWO days!

I say, take 'em off now because it is easier to make these days up in May. I don't mind working till May 25th or so. Remember that one year I worked in Bremerton until June 22nd? And moved to Nome that summer and started school up again around August 15th? So late May is nothing!