Do you know where i'll be this time next week???? ROCKING OUT AT THE RESORT. Eating dinner in a fancy restaurant??? IDK BUT I WILL BE OUTTA HERE.


I can hardly breathe i'm so excited.


so topic time:

What is your favorite boardgame to play.

Tripoli is mine.

and I did.

When I was in high school, I secretly wrote little OF stories. I only shared them with my closest friends and while I did enjoy the easy reading of Fear Street, Sweet Valley High and all of V.C. Andrews' work, I craved something more. Something enriching and satisfying.

Then, my sophmore year we got a new English Teacher.

Mr. Dan Delong, fresh out of college, good looking and just....so cool.

Like I never wanted to miss 5th hour because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I wanted to be there. Be apart of something I new was revolutionary to a small town, cornfed hick school.

I mean was able to blur the lines between social statuses when you were in that room and every one of us felt comfortable enough to really speak your mind.

We interpreted stories in ways that other teachers didn't care to explore.  You learned things from your fellow students that way and were able to form a mind without boundaries or restrictions.

I remember always saying after his class "Man, Mr. D really knows how to make sense of Carroll (or whatever story/writer we were covering). I feel like I'm coming off an acid trip." (although, it should be known that I've never taken acid or any other mind altering drug, but I like to imagine that his classes were very similar to it.)

Even more than all of this, he took the time to get to know all of his students. He connected in a way that pushed us beyond our preconceived limits and gave us the inspiration to work harder, to be better.

He was that kind of teacher.

So interesting and brilliant that you strove to impress him. And you always did impress him. At least, he made you feel as though he was impressed with you.

I started showing him my stories and he inspired me to keep writing. He taught me how to be humble and take criticism constructively. He proved to me that no matter how good you were/are, you could still improve. There was always room for improvement.

That being said, a terrible thing has happened to Mr. DeLong this week. He had given his English Honors students a voluntary assignment that was based off of an article about homosexuality in animals.

A mother of a student complained to the School Board.

He has been suspended for "Teaching curriculum not approved by the District"

With Pay, thankfully.

My hopes are with Mr. DeLong as well as my support.

I am ashamed of my school district and the mother, who was so closed-minded, that she felt she had to do this.

Here are some links if you are interested in learning more:

www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx

www.thetelegraph.com/news/animal-32564-article-delong.html

and then, the article he assigned:

seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_gay_animal_kingdom


and since this is near and dear to my heart....


NO LJ CUT FOR YOU!

So because I am very loved by floorcoaster ,

emm718 is now somandalicious 

I seriously love her for this spectacular gift and I hope you all like my new name!


THANK YOU FLOO I FREAKIN' LOVE YOU FROM YOUR HEAD TO YOUR TOES.

I love you more than Mr. Floo.

true story.