Just random musings and ramblings on everything and anything. Comments are always welcome. Since there is no comment area here, you may leave them on my Bulletin Board. Just tell me which topic to which you're referring.
Update as of 3-9-07:
I now have a NEW blogstream blog. The DL blog will remain open, but I'm using the NEW blog now. Visitor comments are always welcome, and there's a place for 'em now!

My Own Sites:
Webbilicious
Crazedwriter's Fanfiction
CW's World (orig. fiction)
Crazed's NEW Blog
My Bulletin Board
My Guestbooks
My YahooGroups
My Webrings

Sites of Interest
MSNTV Ghetto
(worth reading!)
Domania Blog
Domania Site
Showcase
Draac.com
Ult-Tex

Circuit City Coupons

5:40 p.m. - 2007-03-09
I have a NEW blog
I now have a mirrored blog at blogstream, and it may replace this one in the near future. Why? Because I didn't want to shell out $20 every 3 months here to have a comment area. No one has yet to visit the special comment board I've set up. So why pay so people can leave comments and set up a board elsewhere for visitor comments when I can make a mirror blog somewhere else.
I'll keep this diaryland blog for now, but may dump it later this spring, that is if blogstream works out. No bells or whistles there, I can't configure the look & feel, no "themes". But at least there's a place for readers' comments and I have a place for links to my sites, a guestbook, a visible profile, the whole nine yards. Plus it's very easy on the LBB!
So come on over to my New Blog.

11:42 p.m. - 2007-03-08
Middle school sex scandal
Well, at least the media has something else to do besides bash the local inner-city school system. You've probably heard or read about the doings at Raymond Park Middle School. The story made national headlines, maybe international, so I'm waiting for BBC news to come on the local NPR station. God knows they've gotten wind of this story.

The school is located in Warren Township on the far eastside of Indianapolis. My good neighbor and friend used to teach at RPMS for a couple of years before going back to Stonybrook MS. Weird part is I spent time subbing in Warren Twp., helped out in Stonybrook's detention room for a week, and almost submitted an application to teach full-time. Something gave me pause, and for good reason.

I won't go into all the details as the linked article explains it better than I can. However, I'll give you the "readers digest" version:
Apparently the shop class had a substitute teacher, and since some students think it's a play day whenever there's a sub, they indulged in little extra-curricular activity. No pun intended! Two students engaged in sexual activity -- Yes, the ACT! -- without the sub knowing what they were doing. Several students acted as "lookout" so the sub wouldn't catch on what was going on. Those lovemaking kids attracted quite an audience.

Now this is a peculiar situation, and as a former substitute teacher, I'm sure the sub in that class got the boot for not monitoring the kids' activities. I've subbed in art and industrial art classes, and those rooms are cavernous, worktables are spread out, and there are plenty of places for a kid to hide. My guess is the sub sat at the teacher desk and never bothered to circulate the room and make sure the kids were on task. I wonder if the regular teacher bothered to leave adequate lesson plans and/or activities to keep the students busy. Even so, IA classes are like home economics, a blow-off class to kids. They know it's required to have so many hours of art, music, IA, and Home Ec in a school year, but to them those classes are a break from the academic stuff. If the elective class itself is not interesting or engaging, the kids will treat it as play time.

I remember subbing for a high school art class, and the students had plenty of work to keep them busy -- Ongoing projects and new assignments. Yes, the room was huge, worktables spread out, and there were plenty of places to hide. The room was linked to another art room by a supply area, and said area was off-limits to kids. If they needed paper or paint, they had to ask and I'd get it for them. Also, I didn't spend the entire period at the teacher's desk. I'd circulate the room, make sure each child was working. If they needed extra work, I'd give them the book assignment left by the regular teacher, or I'd have extra drawing paper and pencils on standby. I'd always take a head count of the class to see if anyone was missing or anywhere they shouldn't be. Sure enough, during one class, I missed three boys, and I asked, "Where's...?"
Ah, the sound of clicking dice coming from the supply area. I sneaked back there and found the trio merrily indulging in a crap game, with money of the floor! Not pocket change, but $1 and $5 bills exchanging hands. They didn't know I was there, so I sneaked back to the room, called the dean, then wrote out the discipline referral. Those guys didn't know what hit them once the dean and security guards caught them red-handed with the dice and money. Those high rollers got a 5 day suspension pending a parental conference. One was up for expulsion since this was his third gambling offense. Of course I was labeled the bad guy for ratting out the kids, but I was doing them a favor. Yes, they got suspended, one faced possible expulsion, but that was the extent of the punishment. If they had their little crap game on the streets, and I reminded students of this, they'd be hauled off to juvenile detention.

I know this that story hardly fits what the kids at RPMS did, and I suppose people would expect me to address why sixth graders would engage in sexual activity at all. But it happens, and I can't begin to recount the many tales of middle and high school lovers having their flings right in the building, under the supposedly watchful eyes of the adults in charge. There was one such tale out of an old elementary where I used to sub teach. This was back when the elementary schools were K-6. Seems a 6th grade Romeo had several girlfriends and indulged his passion in supply closets, restrooms, and darkened unused classrooms. The custodian found the kid huddled with his latest honey in the supply closet, and the boy had his pants open and ready to do the deed. I don't know who to feel sorrier for: The embarrassed janitor who discovered this boy's lovenest, the girl (never learned if she consented or was coerced), or the boy himself who earned a quick suspension followed by expulsion.
I would comment on middle school kids and the sexual pressure put on them by media and peers, but I'd be here all day and night expounding on the combined effect of neglectful parents, music videos and computer games rife with sexual innuendo, sex-saturated TV shows and toys, and a two-faced culture which tells kids it's best to "wait until marriage" but at the same time "go ahead and do it."
Comments on this story are very welcome. Please post to my blog comment board or visit the mirrored post on my other blog. You can leave comments there -- for free!

10:53 p.m. - 2007-02-10
Just a bunch of week's news
I looked at my blog and noticed I hadn't made a new entry in the past 2 weeks. Not good since I got this because it's far easier to update than my old blog. Only drawback is no place for visitors to leave comments. I still have that separate comment board until I can shell out the $20 for gold membership. I'll just have to wish for that tax refund a little harder.
Speaking of money I have a couple of prospects for employment. Just temp work -- mostly general office, answering phones, filing, sorting mail, faxing documents, the usual office busy work. Those jobs are for only a few days and even temp work is hard to come by. Better than nothing.

And the good news: The Colts won the Super Bowl! Woo Hoo! I don't think I've watched more than a handful of Super Bowl games from start to finish but this was the hometown team, and it was touch and go that 1st quarter. But they came through, outscoring the Bears. Actually it was a good game, no big blowouts or easy win. I dared not go downtown although I wanted to, but it's been so cold so I stayed in the warm house and watched it on TV. However, many diehards braved single digit temps and below zero wind chills to head to the bars and taverns. After the big win, they gathered at Monument Circle and danced in the streets -- one guy did cartwheels in the street, in -17 wind chills. That is definitely team spirit at its finest. Nice parade and victory rally Monday evening. I do believe however some who did go to Miami didn't want to leave those balmy 70's for single digit chill. :-)

What else is going on in town. Oh, read this in the paper a couple days ago and I really should include a link to the Indianapolis Star article, but go to the main page and the piece on Dan Burton's many absences from Congress should still be there. What's the beef on Burton? He's not my congressman, thank God for that as I don't live in his district. Of the 10 representatives and 2 senators Indiana sends to D.C., Burton has missed more votes than any combined. So far this year, and 2007 isn't even 2 months old, Burton has missed almost half of the total 73 floor votes since Congress reconvened. The only other representative who's missed more has a valid excuse; he's on medical leave. What's Burton's excuse? He's off playing golf with his lobbyist pals. Isn't it weird that Burton was the only one who voted against the anti-lobby bill? The one that curtailed the amount a lobbyist can give by way of trips, contributions, meals, personal gifts, etc. Heck, I can't send my favorite senator a box of homemade cookies but some well-heeled lobbyist who works for "PUT NAME OF BIG DADDY CORPORATION HERE" can give our senators and representatives expensive stuff and lavish trips in exchange for "favors". Make that votes that favor the big guys instead of the poor constituents back home. No doubt the local media has taken Burton to task on his shoddy voting record and lengthy absences for no good reason. The real thing is whether the people of 5th District will finally get it in their heads that Burton has outlived his usefulness. Maybe some enterprising Republican can gather the courage to stand up to Burton come the 2008 primary. If 5th District insists on voting GOP every blessed time, then please send someone who has their interests at heart, not a guy who heads for the golf course, misses important floor votes on key legislation issues, and sucks up every dollar the got-lots lobbyists dangle in front of him. At least MY representative (Go Julia!) shows up to work.

OK, I've said my piece. I'm off to bed now. Long day and all.

1:16 a.m. - 2007-01-22
Indy Colts to to Super Bowl!
At last! After so many years of struggling, our Indianapolis Colts have clinched the AFC championship, and they're going to the Super Bowl!

Actually this is the 3rd time the Colts have been to the AFC finals, and as they say the 3rd time's the charm. I watched the game off and on, in between listening to the Indianapolis Symphony on the radio and surfing the web. The team was behind -- way behind -- by the half. 21 to 3 in the Patriots' favor. When I switched on the TV again, it was 4th quarter and the Colts rallied to tie at 31. Then, with only seconds on the clock, the Colts pulled ahead.

OMG I'm so glad I stayed home this evening. LOL!
Downtown Indy was a sea of blue and white, but even in my own 'hood, firecrackers went off in celebration. Now the hard part comes: Facing the Bears. But I think the Colts just could pull it off. Either way, it's great the hometown team finally get a chance at the big time. You better believe I'll have the champagne ready. :)

11:40 p.m. - 2007-01-15
My unemployment diet
I did the weekly weigh-in this morning and I've lost another 3 pounds. Despite my indulgence in sweets and heavy meals over the holidays, I've still managed to drop more weight. It's been this way ever since I got the boot from my job. So far, within the past 3 months, I've lost 12 pounds, and I've figured out the reason.
I'm not on any special diet or exercise plan. I just try to stay away from junk food and overindulgence in sweets and greasy foods. I don't drive (can't afford it now) so I walk or take the bus everywhere. What I'm not doing is my usual morning routine, that is when I was working. I'd stop at Starbucks in the morning for coffee and pick up whatever sweet treat in the case: scones, coffee cake, croissants, big muffins. This would usually be followed by a trip to the vending machine in the break room, buying whatever junk -- poptarts, cookies, chips, soda. Then, if I stopped at the drugstore on the way home, I'd pick up a little indulgence like more chips or candy. Of course, if I didn't make my lunch the night before, that meant I'd shell out $3 for school lunch which is laden with starch and fat. I'm talking sandwiches, mac and cheese, potatoes, tacos, cheese (they tend to put cheese on anything), and lots of bread. No wonder our kids are so fat; they eat this starchy, fatty lunch, not to mention the donuts and sweet rolls served at breakfast. Your tax dollars at work, folks: Meals for kids who don't always eat well at home but get up to 2 meals at school which tend to put on weight but not necessarily nourish them.

But getting back to my weight loss. I'm pleased to finally get below the "2 century" mark. I haven't seen below that number since I graduated from high school! My clothes are fitting better, but I'll be in need of new ones, pants and skirts especially. That tax refund check can't come too soon. Here I am dropping at least one dress size and I have no extra funds to buy new clothes. Oh well, might as well drag out the sewing machine (and I hate sewing), take up what clothes I have to make them fit, and keep at it looking for another job -- and income to buy that new wardrobe when I finally lose another 2 sizes. :)

11:22 p.m. - 2007-01-14
Got comments?
I made this separate comment board that goes with this blog. There is no place here for readers to leave comments. That will change later, hopefully within the month when I shell out the bucks for supergold membership. Until then, please post all blog comments on my board. Leave a link to your own blog, too!

7:57 p.m. - 2007-01-14
Hey there's no comment area!
Just noticed this last night. There's no place for readers to put comments. I guess I could shell out the bucks for a supergold membership, then I can have a comment box. Until then, I'll set up a temporary message board for this blog alone. Otherwise, just send comments via personal email.

7:51 p.m. - 2007-01-14
Depression test
Took this depression test. I've suffered from depression since middle school, and I know I really should get treatment. But I hate taking meds. The last time I was on Zoloft it did nothing for me. Right now I'm trying alternative treatment: St.John's wort, sAME, meditation, just keeping busy. I believe it's my employment situation that triggered this latest (and most severe) depressive episode. It's been going on since October. I'll detail about that, and the near extreme measures I almost took, on my non-fic site.
Anyway, here're the results of that online depression test.

Disorder	Your Score
Major Depression:	High-Moderate
Dysthymia:	Slight-Moderate
Bipolar Disorder:	Moderate
Cyclothymia:	Slight-Moderate
Seasonal Affective Disorder:	High-Moderate
Postpartum Depression:	N/A
Take the Depression Test

5:27 p.m. - 2007-01-14
More on LBB
Part 2 of previous post.
That "MSNTV Ghetto" article was posted on a webtv yahoogroup years ago, and some folks took it as a slam against the average LBB (again, little black box) user. What people didn't get while reading that article was the author is a webtv user. He is just pointing out some telling truths on how people use the thing. I won't regurgitate his article verbatim but his observations certainly echo mine, especially since summer of 2005 when I, out of curiosity, conducted a webtv user survey. I don't work for MSN or MSNTV or affiliated with them in any way. I just wanted to know how folks use that Little Black Box.

When my first site was finally becoming more polished, more professional looking (and many PC users complimented me on learning effective page design so fast), that's pretty much what I did with my webtv -- make web pages. I didn't know what an email sig was, didn't care about it either way. I visited and actively posted to usenet newsgroups and chatted on a regular basis. Then I subscribed to webtv mailing lists. I learned much more by way of HTML, javascript, and page design, but still didn't get the hang of the jazzed up webtv email sig.

My sig was just plain text, just links to my site and a cute quote. Nothing else. No cute animated gif or blaring midi or busy background. Then I finally made my first HTML'ed sig, but got so frustrated waiting for my compose page to load, I almost dumped the souped up sig. I still have an HTML'ed sig, but it's very simple, just an image (NO animation!) and links to my sites. I make one webpage then embed it in my sig box, altering it to suit the seasons or whatever I like.

Then I read MSNTV Ghetto, conducted that survey, and my eyes were opened. Of the dozens of webtv-oriented mailing lists to which I subscribe, the bulk of posts are for making email sigs, not web pages. There are email sig contests, not contests or challenges for designing a decent web page. We now have whole sites with nothing than canned HTML'ed sigs, just copy and paste. That's not web page design that you can call your own; it's using someone else's handiwork for yourself. Gosh, I designed my pages from scratch, coded my own HTML, wrote reams of fan fiction, non-fiction, original online novels and short stories, and I've created and managed webrings. But not once do I hear from another webtv user, "Hey your site is wonderful. Your content is great."
I did get an email from a webtv user who visited my fanfiction site. But said user wrote, "I don't get it."
I suppose that LBB user is more at home with email sigs, audioscopes, and gradient tables. Oh yeah, let's not forget those cutesy fluffy pages filled with the same recycled poems, jokes, and other sugary garbage. Just copy and paste the text, throw in a loud midi file, and a HUGE hodgepodge of images that take forever to load.

No wonder that guy wrote about the MSNTV Ghetto: He alleges the average webtv user does not shop online, does not visit PC made sites, doesn't even bother to check out sites with useful content other than what interests other webtv users.

No wonder webtv is the red-haired stepchild at MSN. No wonder the PC users have given up tailoring their sites to be accessible by the LBB crowd. Why should they? It's clear, to them, webtv user will never visit their sites, so why bother at all. Now I know I'll get some flak for airing a few truths, but it has to be said.
For now, I'll keep writing my online stories, keep up this blog, do something truly creative besides worrying about how my sig looks.

11:17 p.m. - 2007-01-13
LBB Blues
This is part one of a two-part post.

On the side panel, I've added links to a handful of sites I regularly visit, most are geared to the WebTV/MSNTV crowd, but most stuff is useable for PC folks.
Although I use a computer now, I still fall back on the webtv. It's in my bedroom hooked up to the TV if I need to send a quick email, update my pages, or transload an image. Right now, with both new classic webtv and PC dead, I'm forced to use the really old classic webtv, the one I've had since 1997.
Odd that when WebTV first came out, performance wise, it danced rings around most PC's. I could visit almost any site on the web, send emails, chat, the whole internet bit. Back in 1997, when I first got online, my LBB (little black box as we webbies call it) outperformed any computer I used. At the time I used a PC either at work or the public library. Of course, those computers were really ancient by today's standards, and almost always I'd have my share of frustrations dealing with slow loading pages, freezing browsers, ad nauseum. At one middle school where I worked, the library had just one computer (14.4 modem!) hooked up to the internet. It took at least 90 minutes for the thing to boot up, and just as long before Yahoo's home page loaded. Gee, I thought, my webtv is faster than that.

Anyway, my sole tasks with webtv were surfing, chat, and email. I visited fan forums but never thought of making web pages. I kept saying to myself, "I wish I could have a website."
I knew beans about web hosts, HTML, or how to design a nice page. I asked about and one webtv user suggested Draac, who had this awesome hands-on HTML tutorial along with an exhaustive collection of web graphics. I went to Draac's, read the instructions, then did my first HTML lessons via email. I'd type out the coding then send the email to myself. What'd ya know! I made a page, even though it was a dressed up email message. I kept practicing, borrowed HTML books from the library, and practiced some more.
At the time -- this was October '97 -- I was writing my first fan fiction but had it featured on another site. When I got more comfortable with my HTML skills I signed up with Geocities, and as they say, the rest is history. Now I have 3 sites, this blog, a message board, manage webrings, mailing lists, you name it I got it. I even forced myself to learn how to use a computer HTML editor. NN composer first then IE Frontpage. Those took the work out of it since I was on webtv and had to type out all those HTML codes by hand, from scratch.

I still use this little machine though it pales in comparison with today's PC browsers. While the internet moved on, webtv remained (still remains) stuck in 1999. Half the sites I used to visit are no longer compatible with webtv, and if you read that MSNTV Ghetto article, you'll know why most PC folks and web designers have thumbed their noses at the LBB user and in effect said, "Forget you."

In the 2nd part, I'll let you in on my take on why MSNTV/WebTV has gone by the wayside. I'll have that 2nd entry done yet this weekend.

10:17 p.m. - 2007-01-13
Forty-eight percent graduation rate
This originally appeared in my old blog. It's been edited for timely content.

Wrapping up the third month of my forced exile from IPS, my local school district. I'm still at it, looking for other work and trying to keep thinking happy thoughts. At least I'll finally get my unemployment within the next two weeks, and I should get a nice tax refund this year, so I'll be able to keep up with expenses while looking for a new job.
Anyway, take a look at this article from the Indy Star. It details new calculations in high school graduation rates. Indianapolis Public Schools claims a 91% grad rate, but the new figures has said rate as low as 48%. FORTY-EIGHT PERCENT! Less than half of seniors at one high school actually graduate! What happened to the other 52%? They dropped out or didn't (couldn't) even earn freshman credits. An 18 year old high school senior who has to repeat freshman English and algebra over and over is not "world class" in my book.

We're talking students who are habitually late to all classes and don't bother to bring basic supplies. I can't begin to tell you how many pens, pencils, and sheets of paper -- MY OWN STUFF! -- I've doled out to kids who manage to shell out big bucks for candy and soda and CD's but can't begin to part with a dollar for a pack of pencils.
Then there are those kids who can't even master basic skills. It is a given that once they are even lucky enough to get into college that they can't begin to do college level work. This is why most post-secondary schools provide remedial classes in basic skills. Stuff kids should have mastered in GRADE SCHOOL. In my years working as a sub teacher and classroom assistant, I can count all the student essays that were well written, well planned out and with minimal errors on one hand. That's right. Only five papers were considered at least "B" work. This over a period of ten years. Ten years! I've worked in high school English classes and have read and graded more than 300 essays, yet only 4 or 5 could be considered above average. The rest? All "F" papers. That is if the schools stuck with the tough grading system.
When I was in high school, 9th graders could get away with 5 major errors; upper classmen's papers were limited to less than 3. We're talking major grammar errors like spelling, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, use of modifiers, mechanics. The papers I had to grade were so rife with errors that I wondered how these kids would get on in a college-level class. All of them (well most of them) had their hopes on going on to college. In your dreams, kids. Try to pass off a badly written paper to your instructor. Odds are you'll see a sea of red ink and a big fat F along with scathing comments. Then run to Mommy and tell her the big bad professor dissed you.
Forty-eight percent. How sad. I still say the state should dismantle this sorry excuse for a school system, convert all the schools to charters, sell the "education center", then let the kids sink or swim. Already local taxpayers aren't too happy to see their money continously thrown at a district whose students will not or cannot perform at least basic tasks.
There was another article, but unfortunately it is no longer online, detailing the super's intent to punch up the dress code. No more sagging pants or belly shirts. Pay attention to what one youngster wearing the loathsome sagging britches says. "If he pays my clothing bill I'll pull 'em up..."
This is typical defiance I had to put up with on a daily basis during my sub teaching days. When I read that I wondered if the kid is getting free or reduced price lunch. Is his book rental subsidized? Does his family receive any public assistance? Food stamps? Subsidized housing? Clothing vouchers? If so, then it's OUR money that's feeding, sheltering, and clothing him. It's the TAXPAYER who's footing the bills, not him, or his parents. If we as TAXPAYERS are providing his daily needs, then WE should have complete say-so in what he wears to school. IMO if someone else (read "the taxpayer") is paying for it, that kid has no say. Of course once he enters the workforce and earns a paycheck he can wear his sagging pants all he wants. Just try to keep a job dressed like a hoodlum, honey.
This is one of the few issues of which the super has my complete support.

previous - next