I'm still a guy

And I’ll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around
Knock some jerk to the ground
‘Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

These days there’s dudes getting facials
Manicured waxed and botoxed
But with deep spray on tans and creamy lotioney hands
You can’t grip a tackle box
With all of these men lining up to get neutered
It’s hip now to be feminized I don’t highlight my hair
I’ve still got a pair
Yeah, honey I’m still a guy

My eyebrows ain’t plucked
Theres a gun in my truck
Thank God I’m still a guy

- Brad Paisley


When I take a moment and think about things, I realize that I'm probably atypical in just about every part of my life. I terrified of heights, but one of my favorite activities is to rock climb. I'm a pacifist (in the sense that I think violence should be the last resort), but I am proud to say I was enlisted in the US Marine Corps - in the infantry no less. And, the first time my buddy Ryan rode in my truck, he heard country music blaring and looked at me like he had just seen Bigfoot. An Asian dude that listens to country music? Who woulda figured?

Another paradox is my profession, since teaching is a woman-dominated profession. So much so that I was once asked at a party if I was gay simply because I chose teaching as my profession. Although I don't feel the need to prove my masculinity, every once in a while the inherent nature of being a guy will come out. Today was one of those days.

After I took my class to P.E., I saw the students were climbing ropes - the long ones that reach the rafters. The P.E. teacher challenged me to jump on a rope, and seconds later I was on my way to touching the ceiling. Problem: I'm now 30 feet from the ground in my work clothes and wishing I had thought about the prospect of rope burn before I jumped on the rope.

As the nurse tended to my bloody hands, she said "Johnny, you're such a guy." Well, at least the kids thought it was cool!

Brad Paisley would have been proud.