I had an interesting experience at one of the high schools this week. I was teaching a biology class and things were not going too bad until the third period. This big girl comes into the class and will not shut up. And then she starts getting really aggressive towards me. This went on for a while and she is really disrupting the class. So I finally ask her to leave and this sets off another round of aggression towards me. Then I realized that she was high as a kite because of the glazed over look on her face. Somehow I managed to get her out the door to a parade of obscenities coming from her. Then I had to deal with her allies that remained in the classroom. They were ridiculing me pretty good about being a sub. Finally I asked one kids do you think you are better than me? Then I asked what do your mother and father do that is so great that you think your better than me? And when the girl next to him said :he is on Welfare, a profound silence fell on the room. And I simply said you know people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. This big mouth did not say another word. This is not the first time that I have had to deal with uncontrolled ecstasy from someone who’s actions have no consequence. I have no problem with uncontrolled ecstasy. That is what you get when you go to a rock concert. But unless you can sing, a total lack of restraint in life comes from a place where nobody has taken any responsibility for anything. This could be the definition of an artist. But if you cannot draw, sing, or dance, uncontrolled ecstasy is not going to get you anywhere. Its just a waste of energy, in most circumstances in ordinary life. I am pretty sure that a lot of people are filled with a lot of positive emotions but they learn to restrain this exuberance for the sake of the people that are around them that may not be as exited about life. I think for most people, science is something that lowers the excitement about life. But there are some people that get very psyched about science. Its probably equivalent to how most people feel about football for them. I guess when the time comes that most people feel about science the way they do about football a new civilization will be upon us.

This past weekend I cashed my check from school and made a shopping trip down to the Strip District. There were the usual street vendors. I cannot help buying stuff from the vendors who give free samples. Because I have been there and I know how it feels. The first vendor we came upon was selling homemade salsa. I tried a sample and bought a large container for $5.00. The seller had a Spanish accent so I laid a little Spanish on him. Then he replied in Spanish. Hey homemade salsa with fresh garlic and a Spanish lesson, I was in heaven. Laura bought her mandatory homemade soap. Then we headed for the cheese shop. They had free samples on the counter. I tried the blueberry cheese. Did not like it – was too sweet. I bought a pound of Mozzarella sliced, the mild flavored cheese. Then I went hunting for the fudge people. But they were not out on the street. So we headed over to the fish monger store. And I was eyeing up the smelts. And they had mountains of gulf shrimp. We decided to pass on waiting in their huge lines. So we crossed the street to the farmer’s market. But before I got there I had to buy a fresh glass of orange juice and a chicken meat stick from a Thai vendor. At the farmer’s market I bought a fair sized pumpkin off of a Mexican guy who had the back of his truck filled with them. I was quite a sight walking across the street, trying to eat the meat off the stick without dropping the pumpkin. There was a family in a swell car that looked like they were from the suburbs, staring at me at the traffic light. They must have thought that I was one of the dirt bag vagrants that live Downtown. Fresh squeezed orange juice and meat right off of the grille. Where can you get that in the suburbs? Anyhow we finished the morning shopping spree off at a coffee shop sipping java and looking over the things we bought. Since I have been pretty much off the caffeine, the decaf still tastes good. And since Laura ordered regular coffee I drank enough of hers to start my philosophizing about the world. After which she was threatening to ditch me. Real coffee is like speed when your not accustomed to it.