Today is practically a holiday in the self-proclaimed Great State of Texas.

Today is the day that TAKS scores are in, recorded, evaluated, “dug deep into” and results given to the students. The TAKS, for those of you foreigners, is the Texas Assessment of Knowledge State Test… Read full post »

Today Miss Darling has a special treat for her readers! She is sharing  an article written by a Guest Speaker--a fellow teacher. Miss Darling has been wanting to address this issue for some time. As of now, there are 15 Mommies-To-Be in Miss Darling's 9th Grade School. Out of roughly 850… Read full post »

It was actually a lovely morning, for morning. Not quite summer and not quite break of day, the sun wasn’t yet in full bloom so dark glasses were not yet necessary to shade Miss Darling’s squinting eyes from a heavy light. Thus, eyes wide open even against the pain in… Read full post »

What is normal, appropriate sexual behavior for a High School Freshman?

I ask this as a teacher, parent, aunt. On the news, on Oprah, in the headlines are stories about how kids no longer even consider oral sex, well sex. We are not teaching safe sex, but abstinence and every… Read full post »

It is hard to think that you are a cadaver

Laying on a table

Feet grey, curled, dead without hesitation.

It is hard to think that you will not write

More words of poetic injustice

Intelligencia loopholes

The savior of Angels in America

The quietly dying

Like you.

I can… Read full post »

This morning Miss Darling would like to share  actual excerpts from her students' work. Miss Darling teaches 9th grade English, or rather English I. This particular assignment was to write a characterization essay (describe the character traits and motivation) of one of the two main characters i… Read full post »

Leaving Mr. Pretty’s office, Miss Darling made a quick stop by her mailbox. Inside she found 3 forms. The first was a tiny slip of pink paper again reminding Miss Darling that she had “failed to attend” morning duty and further, that her presence in the hallway in front of the&… Read full post »

This is Part I of the true and horrible tales of the Texas public school system or the real reason why teaching is the worst career in the world.

 Today is an ordinary day in Stepford High School. The trek to work takes longer than usual, or just about the same… Read full post »

I believe that, far from being luxury items, arts and culture are a necessity in our lives, as individuals and as nations. Culture is the strongest ambassador of the human condition we exchange around the world. Countries may go to war but it is culture that unites us. The arts… Read full post »

Today is a sad fucking day and that's the only way I can describe it. I made the decision to do what's right for my family, my family being my two daughters, 3 cats, and 5 month old Lab puppy. 

I brought Lucas (named after Lucas Scott in One Tree… Read full post »

Last Sunday was the 32nd Anniversary Party for the Natives at Dan Electro's in Houston. I took my daughter, Elaine, with me along with my friend Danny. Danny and I shared a great deal of our misspent youths hanging out at a plethora of gin joints laughing, drinking, dancing our way… Read full post »

Next year my baby is going off to college. She reminds me of this daily, lest I forget for a moment and sink into the luxury of denial. This past weekend we watched Marley and Me, which was apropos given that we adopted a chocolate lab puppy just 2 weeks ago. I must… Read full post »

Here it is, the eve of Mother's Day and I am one breath and a couple hundred dollars away from a shaved head and a pink lipstick kiss tattoo. I got my Britney-Crazy on. You think I'm crazy? I got your crazy.

In one month I will… Read full post »

The Night Flight From Houston

I love to fly. By that I mean, the act of flying itself--not simply traveling, but the take off and landing and turbulence. It is magic that never dulls, never tarnishes. It is the closest I will ever become to an… Read full post »

Paris, dreaming

I dream of Paris

and punk boys 

and sleeping without an alarm

and things I cannot have

and wonder why

my mind races

always taking notes for next time

truly somehow believing that this

life is in fact

a dress rehearsal

just like how someday I will… Read full post »

There is honor in obedience

The Bible, at least the teachers-preachers-leaders, tells you so.

The defense is always, what if 

The Bible is right?

Maybe The Great Gatsby is right?

Jay Gatsby

died

for somebody’s sins

maybe 

Mine. 

Maybe the clean cool 

Blu… Read full post »

1. When I was 19 I was sitting outside a music venue in Houston called the Agora Ballroom  and this couple stopped. She was named Snow White. He asked me to pose for Hustler and gave me his card. I didn't. A year later I ran into them again, they recognized… Read full post »

Swagger Part I.

There is perfection in swagger

the sure surety of knowing your enemy

knowing your demons

and standing on the side of the line

in the sand

that is right without question

and to take that swagger

and live it from the tips of your fingers

to… Read full post »

Annie Hall. Annie Hall--these are  my two favorite words in cinema. My second favorite two are Pulp Fiction, but that's for another time. This is not a list.

I have been in love with Annie Hall since I saw it on the big screen at Houston's (and the world's) first… Read full post »

So while the world is wrestling with how it could be that sweet young Chris Brown smashed in the face of our beloved adopted sweetheart Rihanna, I find myself wrestling mentally with the concept of The Relationship with Rat Bastard in which I wrestled daily the years we were together.

I… Read full post »

1. Billie Joe Armstrong
2. George Clooney
3. Gavin DeGraw
4. John Roecker

5. Johnny Depp

6. John Cusak

7. Seth MacFarlane
8. Chris Martin
9. Casey Affleck
10. David Bowie

Next 5........ 

11. David Ducovney

12. Anderson Cooper

13. Rocco Dispirito

14. Michael C. Hall 

15. Justin Kirk… Read full post »

First of all, I know who Sterling Morrison is. So that should tell you something about me. I'm not stating something pompous or some snotty superiority, although certainly in some circles (such as those who used to hang out at Valhala's--the graduate bar at Rice University) it co… Read full post »

So. Of course I know that one should not judge for all the reasons morally correct and politically correct. I also know that we do judge--especially about moral issues and what we would never do. When our friends' lives unfurl like Lifetime movies around us, we are quick to say, "I'd… Read full post »

My Top Ten Things I  Am Grateful For in 2008 (while it appears there is a strict order, there cannot be in these things--other than #1)

10. My new bed.

9. Season 3 of Dexter & Season 1 of True Blood.

8. Visiting North Carolina.

7. My job--the fact that… Read full post »

Ah, George. What more need be said? Beauty. Elegance. Charm. Activism. Humor. Talent. Compassion. Intelligence. Friends like Brad Pitt. A villa in Italy. . . . .and single... . . . .