Words of an Ordinary Madman

On 12/01/08, Tucker wrote:
> Hi! I'm a student working towards and education degree, and
> have to write a paper for one of my classes. The topic is
> LGBTQ students and how to support these students in the
> classroom and in school. Does anyone have information
> resources or personal experiences that could help me?
> Thanks.

I think his name is Bill. He is from the East somewhere,
perhaps Massachusetts. Anyway, he is a straight teacher who
sponsors a club specifically designed to support those
students. He would be a great resource if you can locate him.

The next post was headed: Re: The teacher recommended is Bill in Upstate NY,

Yeah, that would be me.

3. I love my friends! Since I sent out the first e-mails this morning, I have raised another $390 for Special Olympics.

4. My younger daughter on the other hand, got cute when she re-posted the request (bold mine):

I know I don't have a huge amount of people on here that are not on my father's lj, but there are a chunk of you.

Let me tell you about my dad. He is one fricken awesome guy.

Our family has been involved in the Special Olympics in some form or another for as long as I can remember. I have memories of helping out at the arts and crafts stations, helping score events, etc. But my father cannot stop at just volunteering.

He has to go out and do something stupid:

5. No shit, there I was, getting my hair cut when the baby goat started peeing on the floor.

I love the North Country.

The "beauty shop" in Salem recently moved down the road, because the owner is also running a Biofeedback studio.

I get in the chair to get my buzz-cut (3.5 guard) and there's a big guy there. Then his wife comes out with a baby goat (no kidding) in a blanket and wearing a sweater. Turns out, the doe was born last week on a very cold night, has serious problems moving its legs and is getting biofeedback. ("We do a lot of animals," the lady tells me later. "But we haven't done any birds yet.")

So I am getting the story, and the goat starts peeing, completely missing its baby pad.

Cleanup is done, my hairdresser washes her hands and finishes my buzzcut.

6. Oh, one more, this one from the New York Fricking Times, where I saw that the sports editor was taking questions, and I e-mailed one in:

Nascar and Detroit’s Woes

Q. The Times has done an excellent job responding to the popularity of Nascar. What do you see for the future of the sport, considering the downturn in the economy and the issues in the auto industry? Many papers are scaling back their coverage. What are your plans for Times coverage next year?

A. I turned this one over to Jason Stallman, one of our editors:

Good timing, Bill. We’re wondering about these same issues as we prepare for a meeting this week with Jimmie Johnson here in the newsroom. He’s stopping by to meet with some editors and reporters, and no doubt we’ll ask him to talk about how his sport is holding up during the economic downturn.

In addition to the drivers and the races, we feel that many of the most compelling auto racing stories are the ones that explore the sport's other layers, like technology, business and culture. Consider the article John Branch wrote in May on Darlington Raceway, and his article in June on how soaring fuel prices were affecting lower-tier racing at tracks like New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey. We also wrote quite a bit about Nascar’s transition to the Car of Tomorrow as the sport’s leaders grappled with ever-advancing technology.

We have no plans to scale back our coverage. In fact, the issues you mentioned make the sport especially interesting right now. We’ll be eager to explore how reduced advertising budgets affect Nascar (and all sports), whether fans continue to pack the seats at Nascar’s big venues and how all of these issues play out in communities where auto racing is so prominent. We also want to find out if Jimmie Johnson is ready to let someone else take a turn at winning the Cup title.

7. "Cousin Niki, what does Uncle Billy mean by a butt nugget?