February 21, 2011

For the crazy entirety of four years, I've been second to the Second Officer under Captain Flowershine. (I have to protect myself using fake names). The Second Officer, the Tennis Player, has been an acquaintance and on-and-off friends for over ten years; sometimes, a pleasant co-worker with whom there's a rare likeness of minds; some times, a harsh bully to the point where pissing him off distracts from actual work.

The Tennis Player is going away. I'm being prepped for being Second Officer. Not something I have craved for -- I crave for high pay and free time, that's all -- but something that would allow me to focus on work and not on skirting around the Tennis Player. (I've done direct work under the Captain, and has it run much smoother.)

So I was thinking of the whole operation here in such ST:TNG terms, and thought a Principal Dreamer's log should be done somewhere. But my blog is not for personal issues. So hey, this is why we have daylogs, right?

I need to start logging more often. Just logging. The thing about e2 daylogs that makes me feel liberated is that I don't feel the need to make people understand the context. But logging the days in would create such a context.

I've already learned a few things about myself from reading the sparse daylogs of the past. I clearly have a circadian component to my cycle: better in winter, worst in summer. I'm entering a good phase.

I... have achieved internet infamy.

I was interviewed by our local TV station as part of our big push this year to get our high school kids' immunizations updated.  We have 3 new requirements this year:  Tdap, Menactra and 2 Varicella shots rather than 1.  All the reporter wanted to talk about was religious objections.  Apparently someone had called the station wanting to know why they never did any newscasts about them, then decided that they didn't want to be interviewed after all.

So yesterday I got an e-mail from someone with the International Medical Council on Vaccination (sounds impressive, doesn't it?).  Apparently they decided that we (Tippecanoe School Corporation and, specifically, I) were breaking the law, and informed me (more in sorrow than in anger) that due to Indiana Code 20-34-4-3 we needed to immediately inform everyone of their right to object, with unspecified consequences implied should I not see the error of my ways.

After getting this I wondered who else might have somehow heard of this interview and have gotten ticked off at me... so I googled myself and immunization.

I've hit the big time!!!  Ron Paul's faithful flock have decided that I'm an evil lawbreaking child-injecting autism-causing fiend whose only goal is to violate their civil rights!  I'm so honored!

Actually, I'm a little ticked off myself.  We do provide the information required by the above code to parents whose kids are not up to date on their immunizations.  Said information is that they can:

1. get their kids shots updated
2. provide us with laboratory proof of immunity (a titer)
3. write a letter stating that due to their religious beliefs their child will not be receiving the therein-enumerated vaccinations, or
4. in the case of chicken pox, write us a letter giving the month and year their child had the disease.

Since the code is written in legalese, multiple interpretations are possible.  I obviously interpret it differently from those guys.  I do wish the newscast hadn't focused on objections to the exclusion of everything else we discussed about immunizations.  Thanks, TV18...