New Things

I've thought for a while I'd like to watch a "zany comedy" called Raul's Place. I am picturing it being a combination of the classic sitcoms Babes and Three's Company. I want Raul to be kind of sleazy but super unpopular with the ladies. Except, of course, for the annoying neighbor, a la' Small Wonder. Any suggestions on who an appropriate neighbor would be? It's time for Meredith Baxter Birney to play a sexy character, I think.
Anyway. This week at work has been boring because the doctor is out for the next two weeks. I've done a lot of personal emailing and internetting, which is probably not allowed. A nurse without patients doesn't really have much to do. I am going to leave early today which will give me more time to do the exact same things, but at home.
Bri - I wanted to post a poem here that is one of charles b's most famous poems. It's not my fave, but maybe it's more acceptable to the greatest number of people.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's in
there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?


The haikus on Bri's blog have brought back my own haiku memories. I moved from New Milford to River Edge just before second grade. There was a kooky teacher, Ms. Christie, who had various "gifted and talented" groups. I guess I wasn't smart enough to be in GT, but I was selected (on a trial basis only - she emphasized to my parents) to be part of the gifted writers group. I may not be much of a writer now, but back then I was pretty creative and I churned out a lot of stuff. The class was strange, and even though I was pleased to be invited to it, I didn't like it. The teacher made it stressful and took most of the fun out of writing. She made us stand at the beginning of class and greet her in multiple foreign languages. She would frequently kick people out of class for minor reasons and with a lot of dramatic flair. I remember her telling a student that what he had just said was "A half-cocked rumor". Sometimes she would also use the word boner in a sentence, but obviously using the old meaning. One time we watched Romeo and Juliet in class - the good old version with the attractive people. She made us leave the classroom during the bedroom scene where Romeo's ass is showing. It took about 10 minutes though, so she was clearly watching it, and not fast forwarding it.
Anyway....the teacher thought all of my writing was weird, except for my haikus. She entered a few of them, and one of my cinquains (sp?) in the school literary journal. I never got much positive feedback - even after I wrote a multi chapter novel, starring a talking turkey who was a real doofus. I gotta stop thinking birds in literature are so funny.