Will Wear Proudly (and with humor), But I'm Far from the Ringmaster. I'm More Like the Custodian or the Insurance Assessor Hired to Assign Numbers to the Damage

These are from the love of Dr. Kris Sealey, who saw them and said, "Crandall doesn't need any more socks, but he definitely needs a pair of these." She is right, and I will wear them this year with pride, although I'm doing Bartleby and Maxine Walters with pride. The shit show was here before I arrive and will continue to be a shit storm long after I'm gone. I 'ain't' no ringmaster, but I am a said 'witness' who goes about doing his own work, trying to stay out of the chaos all around him.

We are roughly 2.5 weeks away from it starting all over again, and I can attest, "Hey. I took last weekend off for a wedding. Nashville was nice." Am I healed, recovered, rested, or restored. Hell, no. But I do get tremendous rejuvenation from my National Writing Project work. Summer is absolute bliss. I can't describe the joy any more than I already do. 

They are socks, and I assure you I'm no ringmaster; instead, I'm behind the scenes, keeping my nose to the ground, doing what is best for colleagues, students, k-12 teachers and youth. I cannot make up any of the shenanigans of higher education administrators, but I've learned from mentors and brilliant people before me to 'shut up, and do what is right.'

I knew in K-12 settings that higher education needed to be blown up and rebuilt, but I sold my soul to the devil and now benefit from being an 'insider." I can tell you, though, that there is so much that needs to change. There are no words. 

I'm not sure who the Ringmaster is...but I imagine its middle initials are greed, or hypocrisy, or tradition, or exploitation, or anti-EDJI initiatives, when they claim EDJI initiatives. 

Hence, the Shit show. For now, I'll perform as I do (maybe a poodle who can balance a ball on his nose or a hippo in a tutu, but I'm not a ringleader...I couldn't live with myself if I was responsible for this mess).