Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell

It's interesting, no? The way people with poor social skills often gravitate toward teaching or child care? Here I must append an important caveat: by no means do I mean to imply that everyone, or even most... hold on, yes, I mean you, but especially your mother.

But of course the reasons for this are obvious. Unconditional adoration, at least when we're dealing with the real young'uns. I wanna be adored. And even if you don't get any adoration, there's a nice stupid little rush from standing up in front of a group pretending to be a font of wisdom.

It helps to blind oneself from reality, a technique that I can occasionally employ with surprisingly positive results. Like tonight. Reality: 50 bored & irritated grad students trying to pry a kernel of lucidity from the giant wad of incoherence spouting from their TA's jabbering maw. 50 angry and frustrated grad students stalking off to contact the university ombudsman to complain about the sinking level of pedagogy. Illusion: 50 adoring grad students marvelling at the wit, analytical rigor, and sartorial flair of their shockingly handsome TA.

Meanwhile: Milton Bradley to the A's. I like. I've always liked the guy, especially after he ripped off his Dodgers jersey in anger that one time.