So what's a "GrooGrux" anyway???

Having a hard time hearing the details over the Sunday morning cacophony of children and wife, but listening to the new Dave Matthews Band ...liking what I can hear of it, so far. I wasn't a big DMB fan in the beginning, I tend to avoid the "everybody's listening to this!" hype and see if the next big thing is still around a few albums later -- they are, and now I'm listening.

btw, Pandora or Slacker -- any preferences?

instant karma's gonna get ya...

ya think?!?!?

Super Bowl Star Rejects White House Visit: Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has turned down the invitation to the White House, but not for political reasons. He thinks President Obama only invited the Steelers because they won the game. "This is how I feel -- if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl," Harrison told a local TV station. "As far as I'm concerned, he would've invited Arizona if they had won."

this just cracked me up...

Yes, I realize no matter how great literature-based it is this is still a time-waster and I should be doing my lesson plans (haiku, anyone?) and the tons of homework left in the mere 5, count 'em 5!, weeks before I earn my credential, but as you can see by the length of this opening salvo I am all about the time wasting at this very moment which is why I'm listing inspirational quotes and thinking about whether The Giving Tree confuses or depresses me. *whew!*

But I digress; here are the questions and a few rough draft answers. Thanks to teacherninja and his always interesting blog.

1. What piece of literature has stayed with you, even though you haven't read it recently?

For some reason maybe only therapy can reveal, but more likely because they are instances of incredibly intense, powerful writing in equally wonderful books, 3 pieces of Lit that have stayed with me over the years all involve deaths:

• John Updike's Rabbit, Run and the scene where the wife is drunk and drowns the baby... tears every time, I don't think I could finish when I tried reading it after having children.
• Joseph Heller's Catch 22 has a few deaths, it is about war y'know, but when the guys are swimming and the pilot flies too low....
• Toni Morrison in Beloved builds up the horror so much I knew what was coming and didn't want to read it but had to and was literally stunned. Just got goosebumps thinking about it.
• Man, that's all I can do tonight. I want to go grab those books and thank them for the art they've given us...

2. What character or story has influenced something you've done?

3. What character or piece of literature seemed to relate to a recent news story or personal experience?

4. What character has made you wonder why he or she said/did something?

5. Name something from a work of literature that you (such as a character, setting or quotation) that you find beautiful or vivid.

R.I.P. Ernie Barnes