Are we really harming our kids?

Today, in my first grade classroom, during a lesson on long vowel "A' and silent "E", a girl asked if we could spell "shame".

Me: "Why that word?"

J: "Because it is the name of a song."

Me: "Who sings it?"

J: "the Pussycat Dolls"

Me: Ugh, and you're one of the smart ones.

Later, a boy was singing 50 Cents' Candy Shop

WTF? I thought, Oh Fuck! This is what our kids listen to. How will they survive?

Then, I remembered the music I grew up with. Afternoon Delight? 50 Ways to Leave your Lover? The entire Queen catalogue. The70's?

I may be screwed up, but I don't think it was the Starland Vocal Band that did it. Hell, I really didn't know what it meant until I was in my 20's. I also didn't realize the Village People or Freddy Mercury were gay until college. And I'm not naive. I just think you are exposed to certain things as a child and if your situation allows you to keep innocence, then you can. Unfortunately....

A quiz

which is worse?

a. I'm playing online scrabble

b. with miguel

c. he's playing a lifetime game (all 7 tiles used 2x)

d. I care that I got trounced

e. did I mention the online scrabble with the ex-boyfriend?

Split thy skull

5 years before moving to Oregon, this is what we would do on Easter Eve. The morning of the first time, I was forced to call out drunk from Easter church with the boyfriend's parents. Did you know that barleywine can be about 12% alcohol? Imagine the festival. Split thy skull indeed! I soon had to start dating the boy I went to the event with, in order to not feel guilty. While I love Bloody Mary Easter brunch immensely, I loved Easter Eve for its professionalism. It was like taking back the night from all the other fake holidays: Fat Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo. Amateurs. Real Catholics get wasted on Holy Saturday!
Thank you Jesus!

(I'm a hypocrite because I can't wait to get up and drink mimosas with all the peeps, while singing all the tunes from "Jesus Christ Superstar". I need to end East vs. West rivalry and combine traditions...)

Why I had to break up with the film major

In college, and beyond, I dated a boy who had majored in Lit and Film. I was very film educated then. This means, I watched a lot of Peter Greenaway while smoking from a 4 foot bong and abusing prescription drugs. So wasted on me in several senses. At the time, my favorite film was "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer". I apparently like bad acting. When left to me own devices, I watch CSI in varying cities and NCIS. I like to chalk it up to only being able to watch shows online;* but secretly, I'm pissed that I don't have cable to watch reruns of these shows. (Then, I'd watch "Crossing Jordan" and "Criminal Minds" too)

In the past 2 weeks, I have left watching intelligent films, such as "Hotel Rwanda" and "Blood Diamond", in the middle. I care about Africa, I swear. Next to returning to Haiti, visiting is a dream. However, I just want my visual celluloid to be fluff.

God, what is wrong with me?

*I'm working on learning how to appropriately use a semi-colon. As an English major, you think it would have come up more. How'd I do?