I was bad yesterday, but save for this confession, no one would have ever known. I could have gotten away with it, but since getting away with it was never the plan, I am confessing my crime. Yesterday’s post was seemingly all about privacy and security on the internet, but it really was just a setup for my own cruel little joke. The link at the bottom of the page, claimed to be a link to another blog, but really, it was just a rick-roll.

Rick-rolling is an Internet meme that involves the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song “Never Gonna Give You Up”. The meme is a bait and switch: a person provides a hyperlink that they claim is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video. When a person clicks on the link and is led to the web page, he or she is said to have been “rick-rolled”.

Only a handful of people even clicked on the link. I’m guessing that most people didn’t even read that far, which is actually somewhat disappointing. Maybe the apparent lack of interest is my own just desserts. I promise to be “good”, at least for a little while, so feel free to explore this blog, without risk. 😳

Anne is gearing up for the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test. This is our state’s version of George Bush’s No Child Left Un-Tested. It is a big deal, at least to the teachers and the administrators, even if it is not such a big deal to the students. Results of this test have a real world impact on school funding and the educator’s careers. Unfortunately, the students are not directly affected by test results, so motivating them to perform well, is part of the job. Anne has been booked for three weeks of work. This is an indication of what a big deal the MAP test is. Normally, she is scheduled no more than a week in advance.

The title of this post is not directed at Anne or any of her colleagues, or even the school district where she works. It refers to the movie, by the same name, opening this summer and starring Cameron Diaz. Diaz plays a foul-mouthed, slacker of a teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague, Justin Timberlake. Diaz’s character decides she needs a boob-job to woo him properly, “They’re really expensive, you know … and you have to get two of them.” And so, she also needs a lot of money. The movie is set in neighboring Illinois that apparently offers a bonus to the teacher whose class scores the highest on their standardized test. This news transforms her from slacker teacher to the one no student ever wants to get. Fortunately, for Anne and her co-workers, this movie doesn’t open until after school is out. Here is its green-striped trailer. It is safe. I promise. Trust me, please! 🙄

Chris took the picture with this post, Thursday morning. It show a monolithic pier, the remains of an old cannery, on Cannery Row. This area is now popular with scuba divers. Think Lloyd Bridges, in the TV series Sea Hunt, which was filmed underwater near here. The clouds are simply fantastic looking.