MY NEW FAVOURITE COMPLIMENT, AND SEPARATELY, A CONFEDERATE FLAG

My wife:
Your muscles look really good in this light.

Me:
There is no light.

Her:
There's some light!

Me:
It's dark. There is literally no light. It's nighttime and the only light is from my cellphone. So umm...thank you?

___

REGARDING GENEROUS INTERPRETATIONS.

"Look!"
one of the children said as we drove through a NE Portland neighborhood.
"That person has a Confederate flag hanging up where they live!"

Another child jumped in before I could provide a short 20-minute explanation of the underlying historical context of its meaning dating back to the Missouri Compromise, Reconstruction and MLK, and perhaps it was this knowledge that led that child to jump in quickly and preemptively with a short and alternative explanation, thus ideally saving the car's inhabitants twenty minutes to spend conversing about something else...

The child:
"Maybe they just needed something to keep the rain out and there just happened to be a Confederate flag for them to use, so that's why it's hanging there."

"Yeah."
I said.
"Maybe..."

And then I rewarded their observational skills and insightful questions by enlightening them on the underlying historical context for the next twenty-five minutes.

Do you ever have days where you feel super awesome, like you just did something really...super awesome?

I had a day like that a long time ago; I don't remember when. It wasn't today.

__

HAPPY WEEKEND
"Wow, you are really getting some white hair, daddy! What's for supper?"



[above: not my wife]

DIARY AND DIARRHEA ARE PRETTY MUCH SYNONYMS.

In the last day, somewhere in the world, someone has likely discovered something scientifically that will revolutionize the future,* and perhaps someone else has started writing the next Ulysses.**

I, in the last 24, have helped a group of children understand the difference between "diary" and "diarrhea" - they are not the same - which also led to a vigorous discussion of homonyms and onomatopoeia, which I would like to think has also added some value to the world.

Forever,

Me.

____

*like maybe a one-wheeled Segway, or teleportation?

**
Is this a good thing? I don't know.

OTHERS - First Day of School

"Joey's first day of school. We're so proud."

- Countess Becca

shot by Countess Becca ©2013

Student 1, Teacher 0

Student 1, finishing up a word puzzle before class: 
Mr. Long, are there any words you can make out of the letters F, F, O? 

Me: 
Umm...'Fof?' 

Student 2: 
Off. 

Me: 
Wow. Not a shining moment.

(beat)

I can laugh at myself. So can you. Wow.

A Really Underrated Word: Juxtaposition

I walked around, as students edited their photographs and wrote in their blogs, 
and
one girl said to another,

(and I am very curious about the whispers and happenings around me, so of course I listened),

"My dad heard me use the word 

'juxtaposition'

last weekend and he said

'Why are you using these big words?'

****

Made me proud (this is a cornerstone word that helps to anchor many concepts that are in important to me in Visual Arts & Media Education).

It's not about "big fancy words." It's about using language that is 

precise and as descriptive and detailed as possible for the situation.

Juxtaposition: when two or more (often dissimilar) elements or abstract concepts are placed next to each other in contrast.

****

J.M. Long Tumblr
(Jeremy is also, in conjunction with me, attempting to blog every day this month. And doing an admirable job of it. Check him :)