The movie (and book I guess) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has been advertised pretty heavily. I can't hear that title without thinking about Melody.
It took me a long time to get through college. I used to joke that I was on the 10-year plan but because I was a genius I would finish in 7 years. It wasn't that I was a bad student (I graduated with a 3.95) or cancelled a lot of classes, but I had to work to afford school, and there were some classes that weren't "necessary" but seemed really interesting.
In my third year of school, I had to find a new job as my old one was cutting my hours to the point where I couldn't eat - at least reliably. I took a job with a non-profit that tutored "at risk" kids. At-risk usually meant poor with crappy parents. Most of the kids were hopeless and many didn't graduate high school. There were a few who really did want to succeed although they were often older students going back to get a GED.
Melody was the rare in-high-school student who did want to succeed, albeit without doing any work. She was great in the arts, and writing, but had little aptitude for math and science. Her struggling made studying hard and she had pretty much given up. Unfortunately for her, math and science were needed to graduate. She had no plans to go to college and figured she could at least make a living as an artist; read, a likely continuing of the poverty cycle.
I tutored her off and on in her Junior year. Although the job didn't pay that well, I worked at the same place the next year. Melody had barely passed the previous year, and was struggling more in her senior. I could tell she was working and underneath she wanted to graduate, but outwardly she was giving up. As spring neared, I figured her graduation was almost certainly not going to happen so I made what I thought was a safe bet. I said I would pay for a tattoo she wanted if she actually graduated. The tattoo was one of the only things she talked about. She said she wanted some specific dragon on her lower hip. As I mentioned, I thought I could motivate her to try, but also thought it was a safe bet.
What happened next shocked me. That small thing made all the difference in motivation. As the tattoo was way out of what she (or her family) could afford, that was all she talked about. She also really buckled down and worked. I believe she even started to not skip class. Results were slow but steady. She was not only doing passibly well, but was actually learning. The amount she was behind though still made me skeptical about graduation.
As graduation approached I got more nervous. Since most of the tutoring staff was college students, there were strict rules about interaction with the clients, high school students. Relationships outside of teacher-student were strictly forbidden, and could have legal ramifications due to state laws and the fact that we were "teachers" paid in part by the school district (although most money came through donations). As her finals week approached (and as this was high school, I use the term finals loosely), Melody was getting senioritis, but still working. Her last session with me was two days before her final math test. When we finished, she asked me when she could get her money for the tattoo. By this time, I thought I had a way out. I said I would leave an envelope in a small pocket on the desk. If, IF, she graduated, she could take it. I was taking a couple weeks off and figured I could pick up the envelope after a short trip to Oklahoma and use the money to pay off the trip.
When I got back from the trip, the envelope was gone. I figured the odds of Melody graduating were long, and about 50-50 that she took the money anyways or the cleaning staff did. Although, I hoped she wouldn't have taken it. Lesson learned, don't leave money lying around.
As I was getting ready for the summer school tutoring - a group of hopeless cases if there ever was one - Melody came by. She had this sheep-killing-dog grin as she walked in my office. She asked me if I wanted to see "it." I asked her if she graduated and she replied that she had, and that she wouldn't have done it without me or the agreement, but also that she wouldn't have taken the money if she hadn't. I was glad for that, but less so when she also said she had "earned" her tattoo. "I was surprised the money was there," she said. "Most adults lie." We were only a few years apart in age, but I was one of those adults. She pulled down the side of her pants (a bit farther than I expected) and showed me the tattoo. Tattoos range from defacement of one's body to true works of art. This one was near the artistic extreme. It was multi-colored and gorgeous. I'm not sure how you make a dragon feminine, but this was a very feminine dragon. It was smaller than I thought, given the amount of money that was in the envelope, but it fit her. It was art.
Two days later, I got a phone message from Melody's mother. I'm not sure she was sober on the phone message, but she was screaming about my whoring her daughter out for a tattoo or something like that. I was tutoring a drug addled youth named Albert a day or so later when I saw Melody through the window approach the school with her mother. A police car showed up a few minutes later followed by our director, Jack, sticking his head into my office and asking for me to meet him in his office, NOW.
This one, is going to cost me...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
1974 1/2 MGB
It is early January. Theoretically the middle of winter, but it has been exceptionally warm the last few days. Winter here is often more mud and ice than snow, but I'm sure the snow will be here in its own time.
In my list of cars from a few weeks back is (or was?) my 1974 1/2 MGB. In 1974, the British company made three body styles. Early cars had the older lower ride height, chrome bumpers and small chrome overriders. Mid-year, they had the same chrome bumpers but huge "Dolly Parton" back rubber overriders. At the end of 1974 the cars had rubber bumpers and the raised, newer body height. The later cars were the only rubber bumper MGBs imported into the US with the dual HIF carbs. In 1975, the body was essentially the same, but they had the single Stromberg carb and a more detuned engine. The bumpers and ride height were changed to address new safety requirements, while the Stromberg carb was an answer to emissions requirements - something that hadn't yet invaded England as it had the US. As an aside, while the chrome bumpers have always won the popularity contest, I've always like the rubber bumpers and their functional aesthetics.
Since I drove mostly MGs, I drove beater cars in the winter. After selling my Dodge Dart, I needed something else and found a good deal on a 1974 rubber bumper car. It was a tragedy of a car with poor body work, scary electrics but it had an electric overdrive transmission which I wanted for my fun summer car (my 1977 MGB which I still own). I bought the car for $400 (I think) and put the transmission into my 1977 'B after a mostly-rebuild. I had access to a donor transmission for the '74. After putting the car back together, I spent significant time, but very little money getting it on the road. I spliced two wiring looms together, put in a battery cut-out switch and set it up to be my winter beater including a fiberglass hard top which I siliconed on in semi-permanent fashion. For several years, until I discovered 4-wheel drive trucks, this was my winter car.
Considering the low price and the fact that the transmission was the most valuable part of the car, this was a remarkable winter car. The MGB actually does quite well in snow. The engine sits very far back behind the wheels, adding weight and stability to the center of the car. Snow left piled high on the rear deck allowed for more rear wheel traction. The short wheel base with rear wheel drive did allow for some fantastic donuts. The largest winter-weather negative is the low ride height. Since I was in Michigan at the time in a area known for lake effect snow, this often proved challenging. Often, through heavy snow, the car left three tracks. One for the left tires, one for the right and a third for the exhaust system. The engine in the car had a weak bottom end. In order to keep the oil pressure up, I used heavy oil and often added STP for further support. In the very cold winter days, it made for difficult starts. The car started with a button since the ignition switch was worn out. So after turning the key on and hitting the button, very often the engine would barely turn over before leaping to a loud awakening - the carbs were set very rich which was the only reason that cold weather starts were even possible. Often, while taking off in full choke, the exhaust note would change as the car trudged through snow that was often "plowing" the undercarriage.
After several years of using it as my winter car, I put a donor engine in it and sold it to a kid I worked with. By this time it had aluminum wheels and many other scrounged farkles. Shortly after the kid bought it, he crashed it while avoiding deer - or so he claimed. I was able to reclaim my wheels, but the car was all but destroyed. I saw the kid a few years back - he stated he was just happy to not be in jail anymore. I wonder if we are all caricatures of ourselves.
I sold it and bought the Nissan truck and shortly thereafter my first 4wd F-150. Four-wheel drive makes a huge difference in inclimate weather, which often means it is just easier to get in trouble (that truck will have to be a future story). In a lot of ways, I miss having a car that is an almost-joke. Although having something like that for every-day transportation probably wouldn't be as fun as it was when I was 18.
For today, I'll enjoy near-50 degree temperatures in January and wait for the changes that will be coming. Happy winter driving!
In my list of cars from a few weeks back is (or was?) my 1974 1/2 MGB. In 1974, the British company made three body styles. Early cars had the older lower ride height, chrome bumpers and small chrome overriders. Mid-year, they had the same chrome bumpers but huge "Dolly Parton" back rubber overriders. At the end of 1974 the cars had rubber bumpers and the raised, newer body height. The later cars were the only rubber bumper MGBs imported into the US with the dual HIF carbs. In 1975, the body was essentially the same, but they had the single Stromberg carb and a more detuned engine. The bumpers and ride height were changed to address new safety requirements, while the Stromberg carb was an answer to emissions requirements - something that hadn't yet invaded England as it had the US. As an aside, while the chrome bumpers have always won the popularity contest, I've always like the rubber bumpers and their functional aesthetics.
Since I drove mostly MGs, I drove beater cars in the winter. After selling my Dodge Dart, I needed something else and found a good deal on a 1974 rubber bumper car. It was a tragedy of a car with poor body work, scary electrics but it had an electric overdrive transmission which I wanted for my fun summer car (my 1977 MGB which I still own). I bought the car for $400 (I think) and put the transmission into my 1977 'B after a mostly-rebuild. I had access to a donor transmission for the '74. After putting the car back together, I spent significant time, but very little money getting it on the road. I spliced two wiring looms together, put in a battery cut-out switch and set it up to be my winter beater including a fiberglass hard top which I siliconed on in semi-permanent fashion. For several years, until I discovered 4-wheel drive trucks, this was my winter car.
Considering the low price and the fact that the transmission was the most valuable part of the car, this was a remarkable winter car. The MGB actually does quite well in snow. The engine sits very far back behind the wheels, adding weight and stability to the center of the car. Snow left piled high on the rear deck allowed for more rear wheel traction. The short wheel base with rear wheel drive did allow for some fantastic donuts. The largest winter-weather negative is the low ride height. Since I was in Michigan at the time in a area known for lake effect snow, this often proved challenging. Often, through heavy snow, the car left three tracks. One for the left tires, one for the right and a third for the exhaust system. The engine in the car had a weak bottom end. In order to keep the oil pressure up, I used heavy oil and often added STP for further support. In the very cold winter days, it made for difficult starts. The car started with a button since the ignition switch was worn out. So after turning the key on and hitting the button, very often the engine would barely turn over before leaping to a loud awakening - the carbs were set very rich which was the only reason that cold weather starts were even possible. Often, while taking off in full choke, the exhaust note would change as the car trudged through snow that was often "plowing" the undercarriage.
After several years of using it as my winter car, I put a donor engine in it and sold it to a kid I worked with. By this time it had aluminum wheels and many other scrounged farkles. Shortly after the kid bought it, he crashed it while avoiding deer - or so he claimed. I was able to reclaim my wheels, but the car was all but destroyed. I saw the kid a few years back - he stated he was just happy to not be in jail anymore. I wonder if we are all caricatures of ourselves.
I sold it and bought the Nissan truck and shortly thereafter my first 4wd F-150. Four-wheel drive makes a huge difference in inclimate weather, which often means it is just easier to get in trouble (that truck will have to be a future story). In a lot of ways, I miss having a car that is an almost-joke. Although having something like that for every-day transportation probably wouldn't be as fun as it was when I was 18.
For today, I'll enjoy near-50 degree temperatures in January and wait for the changes that will be coming. Happy winter driving!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year
It is the first day of 2012.
2011 was a fairly tumultuous year for me and in the larger picture. In retrospect, it would have been interesting to start this blog on the first day of that year to chronicle the selling of the house and associated pain/joy/etc. But, not knowing if the house would sell, that could have ended up being painful.
This time of year there are lots of look-backs to things that happened over the last 12 arbitrary months. In the rear view mirror, there are always things that looked important, that aren't after the advantage of a few more weeks or months. On January 1, 2001 I started compiling a list of notable events that occurred on an almost daily basis. On Sept. 11 of that year, I stopped. Obviously the events of that day overshadowed everything else that happened and formed the basis of a lot of what happened in the subsequent decade. However, as the 10-year anniversary of that event rolled past, I believe there was significantly more press given to the current economic conditions in the US and globally, than the overall aftermath of those events even though there was/is still two "wars" in progress as a result. It is interesting that in the look-backs, very little has been said about Osama Bin Laden and his death. A paradox of the terrorist must be that success breeds irrelevance. In his success in 2001, so much attention was focused on him that by the time he was killed this year, he was a shell of his former self and the "victory" of his killing was largely symbolic. Symbolic victories are important as well.
When I think back to my 2001 list, two other events stand out. In that year, India and Pakistan were rattling nuclear sabers at each other and violence in Kashmir was constantly in the news. I can only assume that the excitement in neighboring Afghanistan forced a rethinking of how the animosity is played out if not the substance of that animosity. The other even that stands out was a mid-air collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter after a "thumping" near the China coast. The US plane was disabled and the Chinese plane destroyed, pilot killed. The US plane landed at a Chinese airport. Eventually the crew and plane made it back to the US. With the rise of the influence and economy of China over the past decade, these events could be interpreted differently now.
For me (personally), the last year is most influenced by the sale of the house. With more time to reflect, the decision to move is a good one now that the old house is sold. I hope the new owners are as happy as we were when we bought it. This morning as I was reading the paper, I looked out the window and saw the following scene:
2011 was a fairly tumultuous year for me and in the larger picture. In retrospect, it would have been interesting to start this blog on the first day of that year to chronicle the selling of the house and associated pain/joy/etc. But, not knowing if the house would sell, that could have ended up being painful.
This time of year there are lots of look-backs to things that happened over the last 12 arbitrary months. In the rear view mirror, there are always things that looked important, that aren't after the advantage of a few more weeks or months. On January 1, 2001 I started compiling a list of notable events that occurred on an almost daily basis. On Sept. 11 of that year, I stopped. Obviously the events of that day overshadowed everything else that happened and formed the basis of a lot of what happened in the subsequent decade. However, as the 10-year anniversary of that event rolled past, I believe there was significantly more press given to the current economic conditions in the US and globally, than the overall aftermath of those events even though there was/is still two "wars" in progress as a result. It is interesting that in the look-backs, very little has been said about Osama Bin Laden and his death. A paradox of the terrorist must be that success breeds irrelevance. In his success in 2001, so much attention was focused on him that by the time he was killed this year, he was a shell of his former self and the "victory" of his killing was largely symbolic. Symbolic victories are important as well.
When I think back to my 2001 list, two other events stand out. In that year, India and Pakistan were rattling nuclear sabers at each other and violence in Kashmir was constantly in the news. I can only assume that the excitement in neighboring Afghanistan forced a rethinking of how the animosity is played out if not the substance of that animosity. The other even that stands out was a mid-air collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter after a "thumping" near the China coast. The US plane was disabled and the Chinese plane destroyed, pilot killed. The US plane landed at a Chinese airport. Eventually the crew and plane made it back to the US. With the rise of the influence and economy of China over the past decade, these events could be interpreted differently now.
For me (personally), the last year is most influenced by the sale of the house. With more time to reflect, the decision to move is a good one now that the old house is sold. I hope the new owners are as happy as we were when we bought it. This morning as I was reading the paper, I looked out the window and saw the following scene:
In some ways, this image defines the new year for me and the changes over the last two. I love being able to look out my window while drinking my coffee and reading the paper, and see no houses, no people, but cows. In reality, a shift of a few feed will show other houses, but for the moment, that doesn't matter. All I see are cows. Contentment of this kind can be transient as bad neighbors could move in or the house could be destroyed in a tornado, but we can't predict the future and so must enjoy now (while still thinking about the future).
I hope 2012 is filled with a lot of cows for everyone.
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