Ye Olde Towne Hall
Last night I went to yet another Board of Ed.* meeting and addressed the Board for the first time during public participation. It's almost always the same forty or so PTA and teachers' union ghouls. And me of course. But I don't count because I'm ironical in some ways about the whole thing and therefore still cool, except not.

Public participation was enlivened by the following: an elderly woman who was pretty distraught about a group of men who play softball every Sunday behind her house. There's urination involved and some petty harassment when she complains. She went on for quite awhile and sounded close to tears: when the Board of Ed. member tried to reassure her that action would be taken on it ASAP, she responded pretty spiritedly that she'd heard that before. She had a claque of supportive neighbors with her.

The other notable Public Participant was someone who is very, very into track and is appalled at the state of the h.s. track (it's a mess, all right). He had taken pictures and had them blown up so they were about 3' x 2', and he had a couple of pieces of rock from the track. It went on. And on. And on. It was mildly entertaining at first, what with the rock sample and the pictures and the guy talking trash to the superintendent. Then it got tiresome, and then it started to turn into a Warhol movie. My speech, of course, was notable both for diction and charisma (on the math curriculum, if anyone cares).

*Fun Board of Ed Fact: the reason they just sit there and look at you is b/c they're not supposed to answer as individuals. The Board is supposed to decide as a group, in chambers, as it were. Oh yes, my education continues.