Dust off the welcome mat and get ready to welcome some new readers…
I feel like Johann Gutenberg must have felt after word spread about his printing press. Although warned by other Freshly Pressed authors, I was unprepared for the inundation of likes, comments, and followers resulting from my article on Monty Python. Before being Pressed, the most visitors I had in one day was 42; on Monday there were 387. In just a few days, my followers increased from 14 to 122! My phone has been buzzing almost constantly with notification updates.
Thanks to everyone who came by to visit. I’ve done my best to keep up with the comments; I’ve been less successful with the likes and followers. Rest assured, I will repay the favor, it just may take some time. You took time out of your day to stop by and visit me, so I want to stop by and visit you. In the meantime, check out the About page, read some older posts, and stay tuned: I know I haven’t posted much of anything new recently, but I have several articles in the works.
This past week has been busy. Between regular work and rebuilding my kitchen from termite damage, I haven’t posted anything new in almost a week. Luckily, the Daily Prompt had an answer: the Weekly Photo Challenge. This week we were challenged to share views from our daily lives. Most of my days are spent in front of a classroom – or, in the case of this week, under a house – and are rather mundane (and may present issues with privacy). But there’s one spot that always inspires me: the nature trail at Creekside Park in New Bern, North Carolina.
Friday’s inclement weather put a damper on my running plans. Normally I enjoy running in the rain, but when thunder and lightning are involved – or when the Weather Channel warns of high winds with the possibility of hail and tornadoes – I stay inside. My all-time favorite rainy day movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. On today’s run, I pondered the life lessons contained in that classic work of comedic gold.
16. Approach unfamiliar animals with caution.
I worked in an animal shelter for six years; I know the benefits of warning people about strange dogs and cats. Trust me, rabies shots hurt less as a preventative than as a cure. However, many of us fail to impart the dangers of biting moose and rabbits with vicious streaks a mile wide. But mommy, they look so cuddly…
15. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
We all know what they say about assume, so let’s not judge people (and things) quickly. We may miss out on some surprising experiences. After all, llamas prove excellent producers/directors, a hamster and a man smelling of elderberries produced King Arthur, and Tim – a man severely hindered by his name – achieved greatness as an enchanter. So go out and try something new, like iced coffee mixed with Dr. Pepper.
14. Choose your occupation wisely.
As an educator, I often challenge my students to meet their full potential. Parents want their children to succeed. The American government emphasizes good grades and “My Citizens are Honor Students” bumper stickers. Whatever the case, society measures success by our jobs. If you value safety and boredom (but not job security), then write subtitles. After all, English majors have to do something. On the other hand, historians live in constant peril. Not something you’d normally associate with dusty books and lecture halls, but that’s life for you.
13. Make do with what you have.
During the Great Depression there was a saying: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” We see the same attitude today; if you don’t believe me, just check out Pinterest. Without Monty Python and the Holy Grail, we might never know coconuts are an acceptable substitute for horses, that some people use the plague as an excuse to get rid of unwanted relatives, and that the French use body odor as a defensive weapon. And all this time we thought they were just unhygienic . . .
12. Government doesn’t always make sense.
Historically, leaders gain power through one of three ways: they’re born to the right family, they take power by force, or they’re elected. Once they have power, leaders spend most of their time trying to keep it. Leaders can either distract their subjects by declaring wars on other countries or by causing their subject to fight amongst themselves over trivial things like speed limits and healthcare. Wherever you happen to fall on the political spectrum, I think we can agree that “strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
But it might be better than the Electoral College…
This week I attempted to travel around the world. No, I’m not trying to be some kind of modern-day Phileas Fogg, breaking a new record for circumnavigating the globe. Instead, I’m working on a project.
As some of you know, I teach middle and high school social studies. Last year, my Geography class was decidedly lackluster. This year, though, I have a plan: every two weeks, I’m going to create a travel montage highlighting a particular country. I want to include posters, brochures, postcards, a clock with the local time, and – of course – sample the national cuisine.
Of course, the obvious solution would be to employ the vast knowledge of Wikidpedia and Google Image Search, but I want things to be more real. Therefore, I set about contacting the embassies of 34 countries from around the world. The list was entirely arbitrary; I sat down and made a list of the countries that I would want to learn more about. Here’s the list:
Europe
Germany, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Italy, France, Ireland, Norway, Spain
Asia
Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines
Africa
Cote D’Ivoire, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Zaire (D.R. Congo), Madagascar
South America
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru
Central/North America
Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada
Believe it or not, I heard back quite quickly from several embassies. Norway wins the prize for promptness, though, with a response time of 5 minutes. Garrison Keillor would be proud. So far, several countries have promised to send me supplies: Germany, France, Norway, and South Africa. I am on a waiting list for Peru. I was disappointed to learn that several countries do not send out information, including Italy, Japan, Cote D’Ivorie, and Costa Rica. I have not received a response from any of the other countries.
Now, I would appreciate your help. I know from the site stats that I have visitors from around the world. If you live outside the US – or know someone who lives outside the US – and are willing to help me out by sending me some local brochures, posters, magazines, newspapers, or anything of the sort, please let me know. It doesn’t have to be a country from the list, any country would do.
I could hope beyond hope that this would get picked up by Freshly Pressed, but somehow I don’t think this article meets those standards. So, if you can help, let me know. If you can’t help personally, repost, reblog, or share my plea; you can help make Geography class a more interesting place to be!
On December 25, 2009, I said goodbye to my first Doctor. I’d been hooked for nearly a year, having first seen the episode “Tooth and Claw” on the SyFy network. I’d since made up for lost time, quickly tracking down the previous seasons in time to watch Series 4 in real time. And so, on that Christmas Day 4 years ago, I watched in horrified silence as Doctor No. 11 defeated the Master and stopped the Time Lords from escaping time lock, only to be undone by his (in my opinion) most heartwarming companion, Wilf. However, nothing could have prepared me for what followed. I’d seen the Regeneration of No. 10 (Eccleston) into No. 11 (Tennant) and had been just fine. But when the well-dressed and debonair Tennant regenerated into nerdy-looking Smith, I was heartbroken. Alons-y was out and Geronimo was in. Wonderfully long coats were out of fashion, replaced by conservative sport coats and suspenders. I was mortified.
So, Matt Smith fans, I know what you’re going through; I was there. But please, please, please, don’t make the same mistake I did. Distraught with losing the Tenth Doctor, I watched Season 5 as if Tennant was still the Doctor and Russel T. Davies was still head writer. Everything that I disagreed with I chalked up as “mistakes” due to changes in the cast and staff. In retrospect, things weren’t really that bad. They were different, yes, but I shouldn’t have let that ruin the season for me. Indeed, upon re-watching Series 5, I see that Steven Moffat had a unique style I hadn’t noticed before.
Cracks. Cracks are Scary.
Now that Smith has announced he’s leaving the show, I can finally admit that he’s grown on me. Looking back, I think that in some ways Smith was better for Dr. Who than Tennant. Now don’t get me wrong, I still think Tennant is the superior actor, but there are some things Smith was able to accomplish that Tennant couldn’t.
First and foremost, Matt Smith’s doctor became popular in America. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but it did. Through the Tennant years, I had to buy my Whophernalia offline, namely amazon.co.uk. Now the entire series is in stock at Target or Wal-Mart, Hot Topic sells t-shirts and buttons galore, and Suncoast always has something random like a TARDIS cookie jar or Weeping Angel standee. Barnes and Noble and even Books-a-Million have Who tables selling books, puzzles, bookmarks, and games. And somehow, all this was done without turning Who into an American show; remember the failed attempt to bring Torchwood stateside? It makes me want to shout Fantastic!
Trade them in for Valuable Prizes!
Second, Doctor 11 introduced us Americans to a whole new culinary experience. We learned the joys of British-style custard and, yes, even tried it with fish fingers. Really, it’s not as bad as you’d think. Then there are the Jammie Dodgers, which are simply wonderful (and sold in the International section of my local grocer). If you haven’t tried either of these things, you should. Just don’t try them at the same time, your stomach can handle only so many new things at a time. Trust me on this.
Eat These. Now.
Third, bow ties became popular. I’ve always liked bow ties, but others haven’t always appreciated them. They’ve been considered apparel for nerds, dorks, or old men. Admittedly, I fall into one of these three categories. Nevertheless, thanks to a 30 year old actor playing a 900+ year old alien, I can wear one in public without fear. In fact, I received several bow ties as gifts from my students this year, and several boys wore bow ties to the Spring Banquet because “bow ties are cool.” Matt Smith, I can’t thank you – and your costume designer – enough.
Bow Ties Are Cool
Therefore, I look forward to this Christmas with anticipation. Not because Smith is leaving – although at one point that would have been the case – but because I’m excited to see what the next Doctor will bring to Who. Maybe the next Doctor will introduce Americans to Spotted Dick or – one can only hope – make fezzes cool.
By the time I was born there were no names left to give out. Grandparents, great-grandparents, and even a great uncle had all been recognized. Charles, Leroy, Christopher, Lehman, John, and Glenn had all been used, and – given the rather unimaginative naming process of my forbears – there was simply no other family name to pass on. Only my sister had a totally unique name, since my parents realized that any child named Gertrude or Marillda in the late 70s and early 80s would be teased relentlessly.
Family legend says that my father wanted to name me Hey You, but my mother put an end to that idea rather quickly. What is certain is that they wanted a name no-one could shorten. People tried to call my brothers Chuck, Roy, and Chris. For a time, even m y sister was “Abe” because of her initials. Therefore, I was given the name of a letter of the alphabet: Jay. Nevertheless, I have to wonder: if my parents wanted a name that no-one could shorten, why did they name me Jay Peter? That’s just asking for people to call me J.P. You’d think that their experiences with my sister would have proven that.
Since I’m not named for anyone, I guess that means I get to choose. Over the last several years I’ve narrowed the options down to three possibilities:
Because I love history and politics, at times I’ve claimed to be named for John Jay.
Like myself, John Jay was a December baby, although he was born in 1745 and I was born in 1985. Unlike myself, Jay was born into wealth and status. Jay’s accomplishments include:
Founding Father of the United States
Member of the New York Committee of Correspondence
American Ambassador to Spain and France
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Signer of the Treaty of Paris (ending the Revolutionary War)
Author – along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison – of the Federalist Papers
First Chief Justice of the United States
Author of the Jay Treaty, which kept America out of the Napoleonic Wars
Governor of New York (He ended slavery in the state through gradual emancipation.)
For years I was “J.P.” (a name I despise), so I could claim John Pierpont Morgan.
Morgan dominated American banking and finance in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Highlights of his life include:
Arranging the creation of General Electric (commonly called GE today)
Financing the creation of the United States Steel Corporation (receiving a shout out in Godfather Part II)
Directing the banking scheme that stopped the Panic of 1907
Leading financier of the Progressive Era
Finally, I can claim perhaps the most famous Jay of all time: Jay Gatsby
Jay Gatsby is the title character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s life can be summed up thusly:
Gatsby is a college dropout who falls in with a copper tycoon. Cheated out of money, Gatsby enlists in World War I, where he is decorated for valor. He then finishes his college degree; while studying, he learns that his love interest, Daisy Fay, has married the aristocratic Tom Buchanan. Gatsby determines to win her back by becoming a man of wealth and status.
Gatsby returns to an America in the midst of Prohibition, where he is able to make a fortune from bootlegging. Gatsby uses his wealth to buy a mansion and attempts to attract Daisy by hosting extravagant, weekend-long parties; eventually he succeeds in convincing Daisy to leave Tom, who is cheating on her.
Through a series of unfortunate events, Daisy kills Tom’s lover, Myrtle, with Gatsby’s car. In a rage, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, where he can find the car that killed his wife. George tracks down the car, shoots Gatsby, and then kills himself. Despite his wealth and relative popularity, only two people attend Gatsby’s funeral.
If all of that is too confusing, check out this excellent infographic.
But what do you think? Who should I be named after?
This post was written in response to the Daily Prompt: Say Your Name.
Running In My Head 