R.I.P - Corey Haim

Corey Haim Found Dead
Posted Mar 10th 2010 8:08AM by TMZ Staff
Actor Corey Haim died this morning of an apparent overdose -- possibly accidental -- according to LAPD. He was 38.


Does this really come as a surprise to anyone? What I don't like is the whole "possibly accidental" part of it. When you're shooting up enough smack to take down an elephant, you probably don't stand much of a chance. There was nothing accidental about this. Whoops, I didn't mean to die? You're shooting up heroin! Dying kind of goes hand-in-hand with heroin doesn't it?

UPDATE: Apparently, heroin is not the drug of choice, but rather Mr. Haim had a affinity for pill popping. Maybe it was O.C.'s, also known as...Hillbilly Heroin, so maybe I wasn't wrong with my assumption? In any case, whatever he was consuming, he's still dead deadski.

On an side note, I bet Corey Feldman is dancing in the streets right now. Sure, he'll probably release a statement regarding this "tragic event", but I know it's all ballyhoo. Feldman has been tied to this wastoid for what, 25 years or so? They even made a reality series about "The Two Corey's". Yup, I can almost hear Feldman popping the champagne.


On a brighter note, and for some reason this certainly makes me feel old, Happy 70th Birthday to our good old friend Chuck. Chuck who?????? You may need a roundhouse boot to the temple if you don't know who Chuck is!

Honesty...Honestly???

I think I have a problem being honest...I think I get a bit embarrassed by being honest. I'm so anxious about being rejected in some way that I'd rather keep things inside or lie about something. Part of it stems from my inability to feel completely comfortable with people. It's weird thinking about how I'll probably live my entire life without anyone truly knowing exactly who I am. For the most part, they'll only know what I want to them to know...but they'll never know that they only know a small percentage of who I am or what I believe...you know? Don't get me wrong, I think I'm the bees knees, a great all-around guy, good friend, loving husband, caring father, haven't secretly murdered anyone, but I do keep A LOT close to the vest.

The reason why I bring all this up and throw myself under the bus is that I feel somewhat guilty. We're trying to enroll The G into the South Shore Charter School. Part of the enrollment process is for a parent to write a letter stating why you child should be enrolled, how your child learns and what you (the parent) are going to do to contribute. I wasn't going to write the letter, basically nixing G's chance to enroll. I was embarrassed to honestly write about my daughter. I didn't want others to know how I felt about her, her education and our relationship. Once I reflected a bit on the potential consequences of me being an introverted knucklehead, I wrote a bare-bones honest letter. I was NOT going to write a "Rah, rah...my kid is the best kid in the world" type solicitation. The letter was due today. The Mrs already dropped it off. I reread it this morning and I glad I was able open up. I thought maybe some of my loyal readers might want to see what I wrote:

Dear South Shore Charter Public School, February 8, 2010

Initially, I was reluctant to write this letter. Maybe it’s because I’m out of practice…I used to write all the time. It seemed much easier for my wife, Aimee, to pass her thoughts along (she can be much more eloquent than I). Then, as I was looking over the S.S.C.P.S’s website I found some inspiration. This is an introduction to myself, my family and our daughter Guinevere.

I decided to reflect on my own scholastic…adventure. I use the term “adventure” because it was more about the uncertainty of each day, rather than the education. Being in a relatively large school population, I found it very easy to get lost and overlooked. Throughout each grade level, it wasn’t difficult to figure out each teacher’s expectations. I was never pushed and got by just fine using minimal efforts. In retrospect, I learned that I didn’t learn a thing and I wasn’t a better person than I started out. Fortunately for me, I was able to get to this point in my life relatively unscathed. I’ve always wondered how much better of a person I would be if I were motivated to learn earlier in life. My biggest fear has been that Guinevere stumbles into the same pitfalls I found myself in. I want “Gwen” to realize that through education, motivation and creativity she can open up opportunities to do anything in life.

It has always been our obligation to be as proactive as possible with Gwen’s education. The 2 years that Gwen has spent at the Braintree Integrated Preschool have been crucial to her educational and social development. Aimee and I have been able to watch Gwen go from a developmental “late-bloomer” to an extremely social, intelligent and gifted little girl. It would be easy to allow Gwen to go to Braintree’s public elementary school (which just so happens to be across the street), but what type of environment are we leaving her in? It would be a sin to think that our job as proactive parents are done. We have witnessed Gwen’s achievements within a creative and interactive learning system. We believe that the S.S.C.P.S.’s philosophy and dedication to student’s development reflects the type of values we want to see instilled in Gwen. Through the S.S.C.P.S, Gwen will not be overlooked, but rather she will feel part of a greater educational community. Gwen thrives when she feels that she is contributing.

We also want Gwen to know that learning goes beyond what is written in educational texts. Living a positive life, being a positive role model, enriching lives and the community around us all are values we want Gwen to learn. As parents, we do our best to teach our children these values, but why can’t they also be cultivated in school? We believe S.S.C.P.S believes in these values and will assist in Gwen’s development as a positive human being; not just a student.

Gwen enjoys a smaller class population. It’s easy for her to get lost without attention or a task to complete. She does her best work when she feels part of the process. Gwen can definitely work independently, but her attention fades within a short period of time. She can be somewhat of a perfectionist, but we would like Gwen to continue to learn that mistakes can be okay; mistakes are educational and part of life. Gwen has showed great talent with art and imagination (which I credit my wife), so she tends to gravitate towards that exclusively. We would like Gwen’s education to diversify so that includes mathematics, language and interpersonal communication. Gwen needs to work and learn with more confidence; that she has the talent and ability to discover achievement even in the face of failure.

Aimee and I intend on continuing to be Gwen’s greatest advocate. We are interested in taking part in and contributing to all S.S.C.P.S. activities. In the past 2 years, we have volunteered and participated in numerous activities run through Gwen’s preschool program. We have raised money through fundraising, are members in the P.T.O. and I’ve even dressed as Spiderman for her school’s Halloween celebration (I have the pictures to prove it). I can not stress enough how important it is to be proactive in Gwen’s development.

Hopefully this has given you a vivid snapshot into our daughter Gwen and why her education is so important to us. We appreciate your consideration for Gwen’s enrollment into the S.S.C.P.S..

Sincerely,
Yours Truly

Keyboard Cat Can't Even Save This Doofus

Happy Hump Day!

R.I.P. - Howard Zinn

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Mr. Zinn and his family. Through this interaction, I was also able to take part in the filming of "The People Speak". When people ask me why I don't vote, I usually answer "It's my right NOT to vote", but that's only part of it. The Howard Zinn in me believes that I have no faith in the candidates being voted on. These candidates don't believe in me and my family, so why should I believe in them?

Mr. Zinn rubbed folks the wrong way, because their ignorance would not allow them to hear simple truths. Mr. Zinn believed that there is more to being an American than the color of your skin or how high your paycheck is. Mr. Zinn taught me that "freedom" is a word that many do not understand. Mr. Zinn lived free, believe in freedom and taught that life should not be governed by those with power...power corrupts.

My sincere hope is that Mr. Zinn is in a better place than he left. An icon, a visionary has passed, but hopefully his memory and message will never fade.

Shoo, Shoo Retarded Flu

The first time I got the flu, I was a Junior in college. I was dating this chick who got the flu, and like any invincible 20-year-old, I went to her place daily to help get her through it. Wouldn't you know that the flu can be contagious? For the next week I was quarantined to the couch in my apartment, living on NyQuil...I thought I was dying!

It's obvious that I survived and over the next few years I got the flu pretty consistently. Finally, one day I was introduced to the flu shot which was being administered free by my employer at the time. Not being a fan of needles, but being even a lesser of a fan of the flu, I signed up and didn't get the flu that year. Every year since I've gotten a flu shot and every year since I've been flu-free...until this year.

Today is Monday and I'm back to work. I'm certainly not operating at 100%, but I'm far better than the bedridden shell of a man that existed less than 48 hours ago. Despite receiving a flu-shot a few months ago and despite my best efforts to stay healthy, I STILL got the flu. I got the flu, I was quarantined to my bedroom, living on NyQuil and thinking that this was the end for Yours Truly. Coincidentally, the kiddos were dealing with matching ear infections and wicked coughs, so The Mrs had her hands full. As you can imagine, when it comes to the family priority list in the face of a household pandemic, Yours Truly comes in 4th (after Fat Cat). I was on my own armed only with flu medication, Gatorade, chicken noodle soup and a T.V. clicker. All bathroom visits had to be previously scheduled to avoid cross contamination. Throughout the day, I uncomfortably watched movies, utilizing our promotional free HBO/Cinemax offer. At night I went in and out of NyQuil consciousness, where even when I was asleep, I still thought I was awake.

Thankfully, the worst is over...for this year anyways. As I laid in bed throughout the weekend, I got very discouraged over the whole flu shot thing. I mean, I got the damn shot, so I should have gone flu-free. Now that I've had time to reflect, here's what I've come up with.

1) This is the first time in the last 9 years that I've gotten the flu - Pretty good ratio!
2) The Mrs claims it's a man-thing, but I certainly fear the Reaper - Need more cowbell!
3) Eventually, my ass is being shipped to an old-folks home - Start taking Waltz lessons!
4) Campbell's chicken noodle soup is the BOMB - But I couldn't stomach another bowl!
5) "In Bruges" and "Slumdog Millionaire" are awesome - Go rent them immediately!

What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger to blog another day!

Magic Beans!!!

So back in the East Junior High days, elementary school 6th graders were brought together and were introduced into a quasi-almost-ready-for-high-school-education. Unlike our Elementary Sch00ls, we were introduced to "Home rooms" and "Electives". After K-6 type politics, we're introduced to new political factions. Thankfully, this type of integration was a pretty easy adjustment. Sure, we were suddenly introduced to new "townie" kids, but for the most part, they weren't unlike those we already knew. Thus began the story of Bates and Bean...

Immediately, it was easy to see the artistic talent Ms. Bean possessed. Yours Truly was fortunately enough to observe from desk-side doodles to artistic genius. Yours Truly also yearned for "talent" back in those junior high years. I tried music (saxophone) and did alright. I tried art and did alright (compulsive doodler). I found my niche in athletics and gravitated to whatever physical exercise was in the highlight.

Through this period of Junior High life, without getting caught up in the Z-Cavvericci era, I found myself looking into familiar artists. Initially, I was a complete and envious Texiera fan, but I always secretly appreciated work done by Ms. Bean.

Years have gone by...15 years since I've graduated Weymouth High, Class of 1994. You know what it funny??? I am still envious of artistic talent, I married artistic talent, I've been paid for my own artistic talent...and I haven't forgot those who I've been privileged to witness of the years.

So, if you're like Yours Truly and appreciate witty, some-what nostalgic art, you would be well-suited to waste time on this site: http://beandoodling.blogspot.com/.

It's funny because the moment I knew Cara, I knew someone who I would always appreciate crossing paths with. There are those who were put on this Earth to enrich the lives around us...Ms Bean is one of those people!

Happy New Year!!!