8 Random Things About Me

I've been tagged to write this by 2 bloggers, Frumteacher and Educator on the Edge. So here it is:

1. I adopted a little girl from Colombia about 9 years ago. It's the single best thing I've ever done, if you ask me (and at least two people have now done so).

2. I will go anywhere, do anything, accept any amount of pay to play bluegrass fiddle with a good band. I just got back from Benton, Pennsylvania, where you could have also seen Mike Cleveland, 24-year old jaw-dropping fiddle genius pictured above. His unorthodox technique would give a violin teacher a massive coronary, but dimes to dollars the teacher can't do what he can.

3. I've written editorial and opinion pieces for the official UFT paper, NY Teacher. I have received two letters of commendation from UFT presidents for letters of mine that have appeared in NY newspapers.

4. I'm married to a cosmetologist.

5. A certain cosmetologist (who happens to live in my home) is urging me to color my rapidly graying hair. I've resisted up to this point, as I understand the process must be repeated, and the idea of it induces massive laziness on my part.

6. My favorite book, ever, is Catch 22.

7. I just put Sirius Radio in my car, and I don't understand how I ever got by without it. Sirius has two NPR stations that don't play classical music at night, a bluegrass station, a blues station, several jazz stations, left and right wing talk stations, and an all-Elvis station, for devotees. It also has a 24/7 NYC traffic station, perfect for those of us debating between the GWB and the Outerbridge.

8. The car I put the Sirius Radio in is a Prius, and it's great. I used to like Penn and Teller a lot when they were magicians, but a few weeks ago, Penn sent a newly-acquainted lesbian couple to test the Prius. When they only got 44-45 mpg, Penn said they should have bought a Corolla, which gets 41 mpg.

But Penn was comparing the actual Prius mileage with the max sticker Corolla mileage. Max sticker Prius mileage is 60, but actual Corolla mileage is 29, according to Consumer Reports, which gives Prius 44.

So now I know Penn spews just as much BS as the people he ridicules.