My brain is now officially on vacation. This may be due, in part, to the mind-numbing grading process. I have, though, encountered some of the most excellent metaphors I�ve ever seen. One person, in arguing against the elitism of new music, actually compared listening to music to learning how to appreciate fine wine. Needless to say, this undercut his argument somewhat. Another student, in reviewing a concert of new music, likened sounds he heard to �a newborn in a blender� and �An aborigine with a drinking problem� (these metaphors are changed slightly to protect the privacy of the individuals involved, but they are true to the spirit of the prose).

And I will confess now, as I did to my friend M. the other night, that when I wrote a question that required the word �Gesamtkunstwerk� in the response, I did so with the full knowledge that the responses would be somewhat entertaining. Cruel, perhaps. But I�m giving anyone who gave it the college try credit for his or her response. A teacher�s got to have some fun.

AJ has been very affable today. He got all excited about the most mundane of errands this morning, caused no trouble when I requested to leave the playground for the grocery store, and has been full of ideas for fun things to do all afternoon (�Let�s paint!� �Can I do the United States puzzle?� �I�m going to play with my Snoopy guys.�). At lunch, he even ate two entire cucumber rolls and a container of yogurt without any prodding whatsoever. As a result of all of this unheard of calm, it�s been a mellow day in the harriet household. The adults are getting work done. The house is relatively tidy. I even got to get out for some exercise. I get a bit thrown off when there is an absence of anxiety.

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