No, I didn't watch the debate last night. I instead caught the analysis afterwards on PBS by Michael Beschloss, another fellow from George Mason U., and this lady who commented on Palin's "populist mommyhood", like the woman actually had some sort of agenda in running as a GOP veep nominee and wasn't simply plucked out of the Alaskan wilderness after a half-hour chat with McCain. I don't think of Sarah Palin when I think of any sort of mom activism or philosophies, thanks. The woman has no record of lifting a finger to advocate for more paid family leave, a national child care program, and/or any sort of help or benefits for parents anyplace in this country, much less her own backyard.

Somebody pinch me when she uses that sort of power for a greater good instead of for her own idiotic ends. Until then, as someone on the Tweeter Tube said last night, the woman needs to have her vagina revoked.

Speaking of using powers for evil instead of good, I am catching flak from my son's teacher for his antics. Again. He apparently wouldn't listen to a P.E. teacher at all and ended up leading some of the younger kids in his class on a short run away from the teacher and into the school building, laughing all the way.

Once again, I am starting to be slightly envious of these parents who work full-time: "You're the only one I can talk to about his/her child's behavior," the teacher says, like that's some sort of prize. It's 'cause I'm the only one that is so damn available, all the time.

"Hey, the kid's got charisma!" my husband said yesterday, trying to lighten things up. "It's better to have him be a ringleader than to be a patsy." Dan's not the one dealing with it every day, though.

Besides, I get the feeling this wouldn't be as bad if a) the little guy weren't one of the oldest kids in his class and wasn't expected to be a class "leader" at five years of age and b) he hadn't scored so high on all of these tests for reading comprehension and other book learnin' smarts, setting the bar even higher in terms of teachers' expectations. I know, I know...there are just as many problems, if not more of 'em, when the child is not smart or has a handicap or learning disability.

I'm just damn tired of trying to find out where the magic switch is on my son and how it can be flipped. Seems all sorts of buttons are being pushed on me, instead.

Plus, somebody snagged his book bag by mistake and it has a school resource book inside it...and it has not been recovered. If anybody has an extra copy of Happy Birthday, Danny And The Dinosaur! out there and is willing to part with it permanently, lemme know.

I ran into Hana on the way back to the little guy's classroom this morning after using the school's copier to print out "missing" APBs on his book bag, and she was still reeling from this horrific incident. Misery does love company, but that kind of crap is just WRONG. All of us just need several rounds of drinks at this point.

It's turning out to be the wrong week for all sorts of things...



...so I think I'm gonna crawl back into bed and get up on the right side of it in a little bit.

Wait a minute...

...I woke up on the couch this morning...

...maybe that's it.


______________________

Well, some good things have happened this week.

Give Kevin Allman a hearty mazel tov on his new position as editor for Gambit Weekly. Couldn't happen to a nicer babboo.

The Orleans Parish School Board is extending the public comment deadline to October 17th!!!!! Now if only the Times-Picayune's endorsements for the school board election didn't lean towards the candidates who are most likely to hasten the decentralization of the public schools, among other things.

So, so glad to see the Edible Schoolyard program at Green Charter School spotlighted today, especially since Green is currently one of the schools in the Master Plan slated to be landbanked. As Stacy Head said in the City Council Chambers on Wednesday in reference to the landbanking of the school, "That is such a bad idea."