and
That's never going to change. What I want to talk about this year is a couple of things I'm thankful for that aren't quite so obvious. The first may seem like a simple thing, and something unworthy of being singled out, but I can't overstate how important it's been to me over the past few years. This year, I'd like to say thank you to The Gaslight Anthem.
It only took about two years (and two records) for the boys from Little Eden to rise through the ranks of my Top 10 bands, cruising past the likes of Bad Religion, Strung Out, Thrice, and The Bronx, slowly surpassing The Trio, The Souls and even the Loved Ones until finally, they unseated the incomporable H2O as my favorite band. I saw them for the first time in 2007 at The Social (ironically, I was there by myself and didn't talk to anyone) in Orlando. They opened for The Loved Ones, and they absolutely killed it. I bought their record, 'Sink or Swim,' and listened to it non-stop for the next week. That record was the soundtrack to the few truly great nights I had in Florida, along with the multitude of torturous, home-sickly-miserable ones. When 'The '59 Sound' came out the following year, I immediately took to two or three of the infectiously catchy songs (Old White Lincoln, Great Expectations) but I wasn't sold on some of the others. Gradually, as I listened more closely, I found myself becoming more and more obsessed with songs like Miles Davis and The Cool, Film Noir, and High Lonesome. And I kind of figured out what it was about this band that kept me so captivated. Their songs are stories - more so than almost any other band I know. They tell stories that seem like they come straight out of a James Dean movie - stories from a different generation. These dudes are old souls. I saw them again at the same bar - The Social - in 2008. This time, they were headlining, and again, they were incredible. At one point, the singer, Brian Fallon, addressed the crowd - specifically the men. He said, "Fellas, how many of you came here alone tonight? Well don't worry, boys, just take a look around. The kittens are out tonight!" I remember thinking, "God, these guys are fucking cool." I really thought that their third record, 'American Slang,' was going to propel them into mainstream-stardom. I pictured them selling out arenas like Kings of Leon. It hasn't quite happened yet. But I'll tell you what, my buddy Pat and I went to see them at The Stone Pony in August (which is where the picture above was taken) and even though the show was outside, they blew the fucking roof off the place. So while little douchebags like Justin Beiber and attention whores like Lady Gaga bring home a king's ransom in Grammys and AMAs for looking pretty and singing without saying anything, I'm grateful that a little band from Jersey exists and writes songs that speak to me.
Anyone who knows me knows how happy I am to be back in New York. I've said, on a few occasions, that my time in Florida was a failed experiment. That's not entirely true. It took that move to make me realize how much my hometown means to me. Being close to my friends, close to my family and having the familiarity of home was clearly not something I could do without. When I decided to come back, I had this vision of how it would be - the best case scenario, I mean. I'm a superstitious person, and so I'm deathly afraid of jinxing myself here, but so far, it's happening. I'm living the best case scenario (I literally just knocked on my wooden coffee table.) A lot of the credit for my current state of happiness has to be pointed in this direction:
That is Highland High School, my current place of employment - and God willing - my place of employment for many years to come. I love it there. I love my kids, my co-workers and the community. I had the opportunity to be the head coach of the JV football team this year. It was an amazing experience. I'll talk more about that another time, though. I'm gateful for the opportunities I have in Highland, but even more so, I'm grateful to be teaching. I'm not the best at my job, but I think I'm pretty damn good - even if it isn't in the traditional sense. I'm humbled and overwhelmed by the positive feedback I've gotten from my students over the past few years.I want to affect lives, and I haven't minced words about that. I wouldn't have gotten into the game if that weren't the case. I don't know if I have truly affected a kid's life yet, but I hope I have. And I'm going to keep working at it. This job has given me so much personal satisfaction. Moments like this one
can't be overstated. They're fucking priceless, and I've had a lot of them. I can't say thank you enough - to Highland, to Liberty, to Osceola, and to every kid that ever sat in a chair and listened to me blather on. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I also have Highland to thank for this
Thank you.Thank you.Thank you. ">
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