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Hold on to your dictionary and turn on the TV! The vowel-infested 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals are on ESPN tonight. Some of the brightest young minds will standup and successfully spell words like, “schadenfreude.” Yes, I’m a little jealous. So what?!

I’m a pathetic speller. Most times the computer’s spell check mocking displays, “No word suggestion.” My always-supportive wife suggested that to improve my spelling we could do crossword puzzles after getting in bed at night. I said, “Sure. At our age there isn’t much else going on anyway.”

An English professor told me, “Spelling is important but it isn’t important.” Which, coming from a guy who recites Shakespearean sonnets made perfect sense. As much as my wife telling me, “You better not be coming down that hall with dirty boots! I just cleaned that floor on my hands and knees. You understand me?!” Which, of course, I do. (more…)

For years I thought a school board warmed the behinds of mischievous hoodlums. But, after surviving my wife’s recent six-year school board stint, I have no qualms saying, “She, and the rest of them, are certifiably crazy.” A few months ago she collapsed on the bed after midnight from a frolicking eight hours of teacher salary negotiations. Then, last week, Dillon voters defeated a building reserve levy. It just affirmed her decision to ditch the trustee business. Thank goodness! I was getting tired of cooking scrambled eggs for dinner.

Missoula school board trustees received a similar vote of confidence with the defeat of their building reserve levy. Talk about a silly notion — improving energy efficiency, security, and safety of district schools. It’s good to show “know-it-all” trustees who’s boss.

Then again, while hard to imagine, trustees don’t lounge around a pony keg trying to think of foolish ways to blow taxpayers hard earned money. Serving on a school board ain’t no “tailgate party!” (more…)