Empty Carbs

Blogging from school to-day because I have a dentist appointment down the street and I didn't want to go home first. I just came from the health class with the obsessive micro-manager teacher (the one who's having the students report to her individually every morning with the first three letters of their last names). Which isn't such a bad quality sometimes--to-day we had to do group work and one of the first things about group I hate (before diving into all the other things about it I hate) is the awkward moments of students shuffling around, finding places to sit and people to sit with. This teacher not only told us who was going to be in what group but where precisely in the room each group was meant to meet. She had a colour coordinated chart. I may have my differences with her but I bet if she were in charge of a country the trains would run on time. Okay, that was low.

The group work was to discuss "values" we'd been assigned. Each of the nine groups of students had a value--my group had "gratitude". Each day for the next few weeks, a different group is going to present their value to the rest of the class. To-day we heard about courtesy.

"Does this class feel like rehab to you?" I asked someone in my group.

"Well, at least we're learning stuff we'll actually use in life," my fellow Gratitude group member responded. "Instead of things we'll never use."

I thought then about how much all the other students seem actually to be enjoying the class. To-day we were also told for the millionth time that soda is unhealthy. I haven't had a soda in at least nine years. This is the first time I've felt the urge to go buy a Coke.

Gods save us from useful things.

Twitter Sonnet #597

Can one tell of winter without a bear?

Snowflake helicopter delayed the rose.

Tiny grass helmets concealed the cold pear.

Hieroglyphs run down her green panty hose.

Vapour cemetery monkeys stand guard.

Desire is a blank DVD spool.

The hazy blue glassworks drew the dead card.

The brand new robot takes up its first tool.

Taco shops slip from the slick surf board plate.

Orders came from octaves beyond Palance.

Jack sings songs of Contempt and gangster weight.

Contagions gestating pay no balance.

Drain libraries catalogue no stopper.

Stethoscope sketchbooks strip the green copper.