What Can Save a Sucky Day?

This day started out pretty bad. Not only was it a Monday, not only was I tired, but we had issues at work. Big ones. A student who has long been a problem was even more problematic, physically threatening a teacher TWICE (this was after physically threatening me on Wednesday). This was made even worse by the fact that apparently a four day weekend was not enough for the Principal and Assistant Principal; the Principal worked a half day and the Assistant Principal took the whole day off. They have each easily taken 6 or 7 days off each. The teachers each get 3 paid days off. I have yet to take one, primarily because if I take a day off, it means that the other teachers have to spend their badly-needed prep period baby-sitting my classes.

So what is it that can fix a really shitty day?

The ZZ Friggin' Top Six Pack, that's what!



I ordered it last week from www.half.com, one of the great websites in history. Used cd's as far as the eye can see, way cheaper than most anywhere else.

As I write this, "Waitin' For the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago" is playing. It brings me back back to one of the all-time great shows I ever saw. 1980 at the Aragon Brawlroom. Cindy, my best friend from high school, was back home from school in Utah, visiting her family, and I scored tickets for the show. I think I paid $7.50 a ticket. It was the Cheap Sunglasses tour, supporting their album Deguello.

We sat through one of the worst opening bands I've ever had to endure, The Rockets, an awful band from Detroit that had a minor hit with an amped-up cover of the old Fleetwood Mac tune "Oh Well." Finally, that "little ol' band from Texas" took the stage. They got their current single, a cover of the Isaac Hayes-penned "I Thank You" out of the way, and then launched into "Waitin' For the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago." The crowd erupted and never let up. It was truly one of the best and funnest shows I've ever been at-- up there with the Ramones at the Metro in '86 and Iggy at the Metro in '88.

The Six Pack has got nearly all of ZZ Top's great songs-- the aforementioned "Waitin'", and many more-- "Beer Drinker's and Hell Raisers." Fandango, their half-live/half-studio album that yielded "Tush", one of their first hits. Tejas, one of the first and greatest albums I ever bought. All for about 15 bucks on www.half.com.

I used to own the Six Pack. I gave it away as a birthday present a few years back. I realized that I needed it. The universe is right again now.

One odd thing about the set, though, is that they skipped the Deguello album and instead put the much weaker album "El Loco" album on it (though Tube Steak Boogie from that album is a great song). But that's all right.... Deguello arrived today too. I'm running it all to my itunes, then my ipod. The drive to Tennessee to see my parents next month will be even better now. I'm bad-- I'm nationwide.