2 reasons i can't wait to be a dad...

princess marietta, my niece, and the lovely mrs. marietta-brown

bound by crocs

today i am going to a birthday party. a superhero birthday party.

one of my students is turning four next week. his parents invited me to the party.

mrs. marietta-brown, my lovely & beautiful & intelligent & supportive wife, asked me if i was going to give him a present.

"of course."

are you going to give it to him at the party?

"of course."

what's going to happen when he tells the kids at school on tuesday about the present mr. brown gave him at his birthday party?

"oh."

on the one hand, i was invited to his party so i feel obligated (and i just want to) give him a present. on the other hand, even though the other students haven't invited me to their birthday parties, i've never given them birthday presents.

regardless of what i choose to do today, my gift is simple yet meaningful. earlier in the year, this student got off the bus and realized he had on the same type of shoes i had on. crocs, or as he so lovingly named them, "mr. brown shoes." later in the year, he brought in a charm for me to put on my crocs. a white and carolina blue football helmet (because his dad likes the tar heels, too).

at finish line they sell these charms in pairs. they have interlocking NCs. the perfect gift for him. now this student and i will share a bond for as long as his "mr. brown shoes" fit him.

selfishly, i hope it'll remind him of me, too. if a teacher says that don't have favorites, they're lying. it doesn't mean they don't like other students, it just means they might like one or two a little more. i'll always remember this student in a positive light. i hope he remembers me the same way, too.

Great American Personalities (GAP) - Television

Omar Little

"Come at the king, you best not miss."

There's something to be said for a man with a code. Omar, with his sawed-off draped under his duster as he prowls the streets of THE WIRE's fictional Baltimore, has a code. He ain't never put his gun on no citizen. No taxpayers. He only robs drug dealers.

How does one rob drug dealers for a living and survive?

"A day at a time, I suppose."

Actually, Omar is more than a stick-up artist. He's a ghetto Robin Hood.

Omar exemplifies everything that THE WIRE is about, a show that has no black and white, only shades of gray.

He carries a weapon without a permit. He uses it on other human beings in the drug game. He steals what doesn't belong to him. Did I mention he's gay?

He also takes his grandmother to church once a month. He eats Honey Nut Cheerios like a good middle American. He gives to the poor, whether it's a score for a fiend or cleaning up the streets. He doesn't curse.

Flaws, complexities & all, Omar is the best character on the best television series. Ever.


Omar's best moments...

"The cheese stands alone..."



"Come at the king, you best not miss."



Omar goes shopping



Omar testifying



Granny Omar



Omar & Bunk



Omar & Butchie



The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly



"My change, yo!"



"I think these .45's beat a full house."

dinner with chaz

tonight i tried something new.

i bought a stranger dinner.

i asked him if he wanted some food and he said "yeah."

we went to w.g. grinders on high street. he had heard from a friend that it was good. as he looked at the menu, i told him that the original italian and pizza subs were my favorites. he liked the idea of an original italian. i asked if he wanted chips and a drink, too. he said "yeah."

then we sat and talked while he ate. we talked about family, friends, skybus, iron man, self-propelled motorized scooters, skateboarding, youtube & buckeye football. an hour later, we parted ways.

but chaz said to look for him on high street because he'd be around. he said "god bless."

hopefully it won't be my last dinner with chaz.