Ex-cons

I was genuinely pleased to see someone gave Michael Vick a chance. From personal experience with ex-offenders I have taught in college, I know that having a felony record makes job hunting a nightmare. Just imagine what a boost Vick's story will be for this marginalized group. They can look at him and take heart, especially the males. All they have to do is get into really good shape--preliminary planning like playing football in a college setting and maybe being drafted by the NFL before being arrested would be helpful--and then upon release or parole there will be the opportunity for a job with benefits in the NFL. As long as the ex-con can make the franchise money, there is no limit to the possibilities. And what is even better is that this chance is not only for the nonviolent offenders. Heinous crimes like rape, murder, and egregious cruelty to animals do not make make the NFL nor the NBA squeamish. Fame and infamy are blurred in those worlds.
I can see it now. there will be a whole new area of nonprofit training programs in the prisons. Classes like "How to Turn Your Felony into Fasttrack Football" and "Creative Fiction in Sports Resume Writing" will be taught at maximum security institutions. Best of all, the society is finally achieving some real justice. Pulpits and political forums have been the venues for preaching that prisoners can be rehabilitated, so we should all be open to hiring ex-offenders. Practice has never followed the preaching closely until now. The benevolent NFL has stepped up to take the selfless lead.
I can hear the rallying cry: "We don't care what you've done/just so you can catch an' run!" And enrich the franchise, of course.

Six Weeks

It is already mid-August. How did that happen? Actually, time stood almost still for much of July for me. I had my right knee replaced on the first of July and it has been a rocky road since. I suffer from chronic depression and I am very driven to be the best student (or patient, in this case). That combination made me do everything the doctor and the physical therapist wanted me to do. The trouble is that I do not have any frame of reference. How healed should I be at 6 weeks post-op? The PT said I was doing very well and the doctor says the same when I see him, but are they just humoring me? The suspicion is counterproductive. I might as well bask in their praise and continue my efforts.
I am not working this fall. It will be the first semester since our move in March of 2000 that I will not be teaching or at least tutoring for over 20 hours a week. This should be another interesting journey.