le bien, le mal

Today was one for the books. I got ambushed by two coworkers during a parent-teacher conference. Fortunately, both administrators were present and both of them reassured me of their support for what I do in the classroom. Nevertheless, this led me to come to the pretty abrupt realization that, no matter what, I can no longer continue my career at my present school. This is difficult for me to realize, but I think it's for the best.

The good news for the day came when I got home and received my Praxis scores (the test I thought I bombed last month). I passed the test pretty soundly and now I can be certified to teach High School. I think that the Karmic wheel took a positive turn for me today, providing me with both a reason to leave and a means to do so as well.

The weather is cold and rainy. I heard someone say today that the worst kind of weather was 32 degrees and raining. You can't do a thing except stay inside and try not to get sick. Weather should clear up by the weekend, though. Good thing too, as I have a new road bike to ride! Details will be revealed later...

Nothing says you have arrived in cycling like the understated charm of your own personal trailer. Here is the kind of pimp-style you get to throw down when you win Cyclocross World's two years in a row like Erwin "Papa" Vervecken! Imagine cruising to the local 'cross race in this machine. Kinda like the Sandhills Syndicate, but with rainbow stripes. We'll just have to see what kind of ride Jonathon Page is able to score after his silver medal this year. Maybe one of those cool Ford Euro vans with a couple of hammocks...

Now for a bit of the political. By now I'm sure you've heard the recent US accusations that Iran is supplying some of the more deadly IED's to the Iraqi insurgency. When commenting on these accusations (which, I have to say, I would not be surprised to find out were factual), the Iranian government said that there is no credibility to the claims given the "history of American manipulation" of intelligence to suit it's own purposes. Reeaaaaaallllly? I mean, did our administration lob that big softball up to the world, or what? We have set the whole world up to be able to say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." We have shot our credibility with the rest of the world. Our me first (and only) attitude has turned so many of our allies against us. Can it be repaired by the next administration? Who knows? Do we have a serious amount of work to do in order to regain credibility on the world stage? Absolutely.