I was never much of a Whitney Houston fan, but her death just reminds me of the tragedy that fame and life in the spotlight can do.

As I reflect on what I knew from her life through Entertainment Tonight, I wonder if we loved to hate her. She seemed plagued by those looking to find fault in everything she did. She fell in love with a man who wasn't good for her and the media kept the pressure up. Is it any wonder she had difficulty with drugs?

Whatever the reason she is no longer here, I feel for the life that is no more. I also hope that she's found peace. Life is tough. Some people just need a break.

RIP

A religious liberty issue?

I am having difficulty understanding the stance of the Catholic church. They do not want to have to provide certain elements of healthcare coverage to people who may not adhere to the Catholic rules. My issue is their argument, a weak one, that if you want better healthcare coverage find a job with someone else. Really?

I used to work in a Catholic school. I should not have been denied certain healthcare coverage items. Birth control is my business, not the employer's business. What I do with the insurance is my business.

Why does this country not understand that we all should have access to things like birth control and abortion (if you so choose to make use of those things is your business)? Are we so naive to think that Catholic women don't use birth control or they don't have abortions?

Personally I believe that many are just arguing for the sake of argument not because they actually believe what they're arguing. Separate religion from government, now.

I miss home.

I want to be around my family and my house and dog. They make me happy and I am missing them terribly.

Still, I think it's done us all good to have me away. I am definitely difficult to live with. It's also nice to know that we're all okay even though we've experienced this unusual family situation. That's a sign of a strong family. I am so lucky to have what I have.

I don't really think absence makes the heart grow fonder. I think absence just reminds us of what is important in life. It's so easy to take the important stuff for granted. I am grateful that I've been given this opportunity to experience what I hadn't experienced before. Living on my own and doing what needed doing is important. When I go home I will do so with the realization that I can do a lot on my own. I know now that I have the courage to do what needs doing without getting help from others.

If I stick it out for the duration of the school year, I will have overcome the biggest obstacle I'd ever faced in my professional career. Moving out here helped me deal with the nutty phobias I'd started having.

But I'm finished with this stint. It's time to go home to the place that is like me. I'm tired of trying to fit in. And I don't ever want to live in a republican state again.

This week just keeps getting better.

Yesterday I waited 20 minutes to get into a Parent Teacher Conference. So, since I had yet another meeting to scurry to, I politely entered the room and said, "I am really sorry but I have another meeting to get to, could I come in." Then I met with the parent and student. It was pleasant. I was on my way.

Today I learn someone lodged a complaint against me: Unprofessional conduct at a parent conference.

Really???

I HATE my job. I HATE public school education. We are failing our kids when we deal with trivial shit like this and allow kids to do no work.

Bad days at work suck. They're even worse when they occur at the beginning of the week.

So, my ass is in a sling because a very large number of my students failed the semester. I realize that on paper this is a horrible stat; however, I have been making the same complaint for a while. How do you pass students who do no work? Or, do you pass those who do no work? That's the rock and hard place I'm between.

I have students who do not work. they are not failing my class because they don't understand what I'm teaching; they are failing because they don't do work. Even worse, because they don't do work, I cannot actually do what I do well.

For example, I am good at teaching emerging writers how to craft a solid essay. However, in order for students to improve they need to provide a first draft. It's incredible how many don't bother. Then they won't work on a second draft -- even when thirty minutes of class time are provided for the assignment. Then when I try to teach students how to proofread or edit, so many are disengaged because they didn't do the work in the first place and they have nothing to apply my class lesson on.

Today I got in trouble because the lesson I taught yesterday (reading aloud in class and asking clarification questions as we moved along) was "just reading". When I suggested to my boss that was exactly what my students needed, he scoffed at me and said I didn't know how to do the job. When I asked how my lesson could have been better, he made a suggestion: to have students break into groups after doing the reading on their own and discuss whether or not Odysseus is a good example of an epic hero. Hmmm, I say. That's a great idea IF I could count on my students arriving to class prepared. They don't. Worse, even if they did do the reading, they don't fully understand what they read thus my decision to read in class with them. Now I have proof: those who paid attention during the reading, submitted study guides that indicated as much. But still I'm a bad teacher.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but if we continue to allow kids to do no work, where exactly do we expect our future to go? What do we teach when we allow students to have no work ethic?

I feel like I'm on the cusp of something big. Few in my field care to have principles because it's so hard to keep at it. After crying on my husband's shoulder, he made a recommendation: just pass them. Sadly, that's what I was thinking on my way home. Doesn't it suck that those lazy ass kids win?

It's campaign season again. I think I'm getting ill. Really, the Republican Party couldn't find candidates better than Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney? I shudder to think what might happen to this country if either of those three get elected.

I have many reasons for disliking the candidates on party lines alone, but there are some real particular issues I have with them individually:

Santorum does not understand that there should be a separation of church and state. Hello mister. It's part of the foundation of this country. Jeez, if you can't respect that, what can you respect. Furthermore, this fellow is a staunch adherent to the conservatism of the party. No thanks. I like Planned Parenthood and don't want your church interfering with my rights.

Mitt Romney bothers me because he cannot string several sentences together without sounding like a doofus. I do not want to hear him talk any more than I've had to recently. I have no trouble with his religious background nor do I care about his lofty income.

Ron Paul is an interesting character. I don't believe in what he believes, but I do like his demeanor. In fact, I dislike this candidate least.

Newt Gingrich is a slippery bastard that can do real harm to this country. He lacks honesty and integrity. The absence of those two things could put this country in harms way of one form or another. I hope the stupid idiots of South Carolina do not represent the thinking in this country. Newt is bad for America. Count on it.

So, I have ten more months to rant. I sure hope America votes for intelligence.

Reality TV has left me enjoying life without television. I cannot stand how contestants are pitted against one another and we are supposed to enjoy the scheming that goes on. IF I wanted to watch idiots behaving badly, I'd watch soap operas. (Like every "rule" this too has an exception: Project Runway is wildly entertaining. Even though the judges are merciless when looking at the finished assignment, I enjoy seeing creativity at work. I doubt Isaac Mizrahi and friends are capable of putting a glam design together using only materials from the dollar store.) Anyway, the biggest problem with reality TV is it cuts the writers out of a job and that's not right.

Don't despair. There's light up ahead.

Tuesday nights are a fine night of guilty pleasure TV viewing. Glee followed by New Girl followed by Raising Hope all offer intelligence, fun, scandal, sex, drama, and just plain old good TV viewing. I think I'll be making my schedule clear at 8 pm on Tuesdays to watch these three shows. I can sit, knit, chuckle and relax. Isn't that what TV viewing should be about?

I'm glad some writers are working and creating some good, off-the-beaten-path material.