Editor's Note: Forgot to thank Kevin Reilly for the bonfire photos. We're trying to get Riggs to do a guest spot soon, maybe a top ten list for the summer.

Editor's Note: We apologize, but our server crashed over the weekend. I'll take this opportunity to thank webmaestro Hank Fichtner behind the scenes. Hank keeps us running. He's no slouch in the meme department either and may jump into the fray on Hypertext Bazaars from time to time. Anyway here is a guest spot that was scheduled for the weekend from Andrew Carroll, an aspiring filmmaker, renowned raconteur, ad hoc writer, and my brother.

The ultimate hospitality

I attended a Memorial Day party last weekend that was co-hosted by my brother's good friend, Dave Mann, Dave's cousin and her husband (it was their place). I had a few trepidations about this party only because I knew very few people on the 100 plus guest list; it was to be held on a farm out in Sugarloaf, PA (which I had never heard of it before). I was told all I needed would be clothes and shelter (food, booze, and entertainment were included in the cost of the weekend - $0.00). Minimal concerns aside, I recruited two of my best friends and we headed out to the farm Saturday afternoon. Within minutes of arrival, I was warmly welcomed by the host and ordered to immediately refresh myself with one of the three kinds of beer, a frozen daiquiri, or one of the many non-alcoholic beverages they offered. Food was also out in full force; everything from hot dogs to tomato pie was available and they demanded we all eat and relax after the two and a half hour ride. My thoughts suddenly reeked of jealousy, for I have always made claim that no one could throw a party to rival a Carroll party. We had met our match. The entertainment and such was amazing; a thirty-foot tall bonfire with stacks upon stacks of pallets to keep it fed throughout the night (until 4 a.m.), a special stage built just for the weekend, a moon-bounce complete with joust and sumo suits, a few local bands, and a DJ.

As an educator, new instructional strategies and classroom initiatives are thrown my way pretty much on a weekly basis. Some of these curriculum ideas are recycled from fads in years past with different jargon being the only new thing, really. Others are, in fact, new and innovative, even having the research on their side to prove their worth. The problem is that once educators are settled and happy with their new curriculum based on district initiatives, it gets thrown to the wayside for something new and better (or in some cases, not better). The cycle continues infinitely.

An article intended for my students in the April 28th edition of Time for Kids caught my eye and just may forever change they way I teach.

Where to begin? A prominent female pundit was recently quoted as saying something about an assassination in regards to Barack Obama. Saying that it was stupid doesn't do it justice, more like potentially criminal, but I'll clarify that. Asinine, I think that sums it up nicely. Completely and utterly asinine. A comment so offensive I'm amazed it hasn't been part of the political discourse in a society that drags everything through the mud. Let's put it this way (and I'm not exaggerating here): a guy I work with receives a page to his phone any time any piece of news occurs anywhere in the entire world. He is subscribed to every news source imaginable. His Blackberry vibrates on his deck all day long. But when I asked him yesterday about this quote he had no idea what I was talking about! I almost fell out of my seat.

Editor's Note: This weekend we're featuring a guest writer, Nicholas Millan. Nick is a journalist, film-enthusiast, expert mix-ologist, and all-around funny guy. We are trying to incorporate some new voices on the site, so if you read the site, and are interested in becoming a prospective guest writer, you can find our emails on the bios page. Please feel free to contact us for anything, but especially this specific endeavor.