Tuesday, January 30, 2007

something I wrote and forgot to post

Falling

Have you ever considered the unlikeliness of love ..
It is little wonder we call it 'falling'
With all the minor and major happenings which must coincide
Any one of which could have prevented us from ever meeting
One twist of time and we are complete strangers
Each going our own way, oblivious to what was missed
One hiccup of fate and we pass, moments from love
Never feeling even the wind of cupid's passing arrow
For all the angry messengers of mankind
Cursing the workings of the fates
I can only sit and marvel at her wisdom
For all around us we see it .. the wonder of love
It fills our songs and our poetry
In a never ending effort to put to words the wordless
It is a trend these woefully inadequate words will not stop
It weaves itself as an inexplicable thread throughout our being

We cannot see it in a tangible form
And yet we see it in the actions of the smallest caring
We cannot hear it, as it does not possess a mouth
And still, we listen for it on every wind
We cannot hold it in the grasp of our fingers
Nevertheless, we house it in our hearts
And allow it to spill forth
We cannot run it across the taste buds on our tongue
However, the taste of love is sweet
And even without odor
It assails the nostrils and fills the head

I never knew the unreal
Could become so real
Until there was you
You are what love has tried to tell me my entire life
You are the words my heart has whispered
Even before I knew how to listen
You are my ‘falling’

Ron
January 18, 2007

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Life gets busier

Things are on the run here as usual, it seems. More and more, busy is the rule rather than the exception. I think it is time to scale back a bit, although I don't see how it is possible.

School is busier than ever. I have been talking to several businesses about co-oping some of our students. I am still working on the fundraising for SkillsUSA and the upcoming trip. Add to that, the brochure I am designing for the school, the five classes I teach, and all the other little things that come with them, and work is like .. Well, like work.

Working for the state, there is a motto: "No good deed goes unpunished." If you do your job well, you get more work to do. If you excel in one area, they try to bog you down in another area. So, being the perfectionist that I am, I am a prime candidate.

The situation at home is busy as well. The news on the Chris front is not good. I won't go into that here. S is still here, still pregnant, and still not working. Every day it seems, one of the kids has something that needs to be done. Some days, we just want to go upstairs, close the door, and hide in the waterbed.

Tammy's work cut hours and they cut her back. She told them if this was going to be the case, she would giver her two week notice. Suddenly, she is back to nearly 20 hours a week. Which, is a good thing. The less time she has to 'hang around' the house, the less time she has to do all the running the kids think is required.

Still, the days get shorter and busier. There is no end in sight in the near future. I can see a vacation looming on the horizon. The next school break of any length will be filled with cabins and woods, even if it is just an hour down the road. I am looking at NC, but will take anywhere that no one can find us. I am looking for a place where, when the cell phone rings, we are too far away to do anything for anyone.

But .. Until then .. Life just gets busier ...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Spark

My Principal asked me write something .. or do something .. for the School Board Appreciation thing.

It includes a cover that says:
Thanks for all you do to keep the spark of education alive in Clark County.

It all begins with a spark.

Walking back from the retirement dinner
I took a trip in my mind,
To try to find the place it all began
Backwards I tread through the thirty years
Of loving what I do and doing what I love
This time watching as it unfolded
Even the day I started, it was already there

Farther back, I trekked,
Eyes intently watching
Watching as it ebbed and glowed
Throughout those college years
Must have happened before then
I mused, considering all I saw

Back to high school
Those oft remembered days of youth
The friendships formed,
That last even until today
Forming and making me
Becoming the person, I was supposed to be
Still, it was already there

Middle school came and went
Filled with laughter and learning
Building blocks,
On a foundation already fashioned
Elementary school, there I found it
That first beginning spark
A certain teacher noticed it
And fed it from the menu of education

It happens different for us all
At diverse times and poles apart places
But somewhere along the way
We find ‘our’ spark
And there it really begins

Now I find, Even in this eve of my life
That spark, now a flame
Calls to me still

Ron
January 23, 2007


Monday, January 22, 2007

Oh yeah .. And on Saturday

I got certified as a CPR/First Responder.

It was a cool class. The presenter/instructor was Rob, an Englander with his accent in tact. He is a diver, among other things. He is also a personal friend. We held the class at our house, with 12 people in attendance. It was a blast. Ten friends and Tammy and I, working our way through the manual and the hands-on stuff. We did the actually procedure on a resusci-annie. It was interesting. I did this when I was an apprentice electrician, but that was a long time ago.

We also did the First Aid part and the AED device training. AED is the new defibrillator thing that does everything nearly automatically. We are getting one for our school.

We took a break between the book and test part, and the hands-on part. We went to a Chinese restaurant for a late lunch. 15 of us (Rob & Brandy had 2 of the kids with them and we took Sierra, who is 18) took over a section of the place. The fortunes were very interesting. The key to reading a fortune from the cookie is to add the phrase, "In bed" at the end of whatever fortune you get. One of our friends, who is a lawyer, got a fortune, that worked with or without the ending phrase, but was much more interesting with it. It read, "Your tongue is best ambassador," IN BED !! It was priceless.

Then back to the house for the final phase and viola', we are certified for 2 years.

We had a Board meeting after the class and even thought for a spilt second about going to Lexington that evening. It passed quickly. We were worn out. Getting set up, getting the foods ready, playing the generous host, and getting certified, wore us out. The bed seemed like a much better place to spend the evening rather than about 2 hours driving.

On Sunday, Tammy was fixing her hair when she dropped something. When she bent to pick it up, she banged her head on the hutch mantle and went to the floor. She wasn't knocked out. She was just startled and sat down. I asked her if she was ok. I told her I was trained, did I need to resuscitate her? She was really fine. She made a nice bump on her head though.

Last night we got to babysit the two grandkids, Ian and Abby. Tammy was in heaven with a 5 week old baby in the house. C and C went to the movies and out to eat. They loved the time away but missed the kids too. Good parents.

Now, it is back to the grindstone.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Peeve time

I am not sure it is a pet peeve, but it definitely is a peeve.

Main Entry: troop
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French
trope, troupe company, herd, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English thorp, throp village -- more at THORP
1 a : a group of soldiers b : a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company c plural : ARMED FORCES, SOLDIERS
2 : a collection of people or things : CREW 2
3 : a flock of mammals or birds
4 : the basic organizational unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under an adult leader

I am reading the news and it says, 5 troops killed in Iraq, or like today 26 troops killed in Iraq. I am mortified. Then, upon investigation, I discover that is was not 5 troops, or 26 troops, it was 5 soldiers, and 26 soldiers. While, 1 dead soldier is not a good thing by any stretch of the imagination, it is not as bad as 1 troop. You would think that journalist would know the difference. Are they just trying to sensationalize the loss of life ? If so, they are just as guilty as those that embellished the facts to get us into this war. If exaggeration for effect (Hyperbole) is wrong for one side, it is wrong for both sides.

It is a tragedy that American soldiers are dying and American troops are stationed in Iraq based on a lie, but lying to emphasis it puts you in the same boat as your opponents.

That's one of my peeves.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Pulling the reins back ...

Wowser ... Has it ever been busy ..
It has been a whirlwind. Revelations, which I will not go into, have caused us to ask our son-in-law to move out. He chose to go to his sister's house, where his wife is not welcome. She assured him that she would bring him back and forth to Mt Sterling for work. Guess what ? First day he as to work, S calls to see if he is going to work, and he claims his sister will not bring him. Only one of two things could be .. Either she lied to him or he is lying to us .. Either way, we wash our hands of it. S can stay, under the conditions to which they both agreed. There will be a job involved or much job searching. There will be every effort to keep our life as close to what it was before.

I am sorry that S has to go through this, but this is the world she created with her actions. Against better advice, she went forth with marrying this guy. Against better advice, she let her life become what it is. Now that she is living in the heat of the consequences of her actions, she wants to whine and feel sorry for herself, and we are not having any of it.

It never ceases to amaze me when people, living in the hovel to which their actions have reduced their lives, look up and question as to how GOD could let this happen. I believe that GOD created this world a long time ago. When he handed it to man, we began remaking it in our own choice of images. When it gets out of control because of the choices we have made, we turn to GOD and wonder why he let it happen. We wrestled it out of his hands. We took control. We screwed it over and over. We created this FUBAR, and then we look up and ask 'WHY?'

You are why you are where you are. Ultimately, I am responsible for my position in the world. Every day I am faced with choices. Each choice is attached to a consequence. Some choices are light and the consequence is light. Some choices are heavy, and the consequence is heavy. Other are in the middle. Still, the choice and the consequence are mine to own.

(Sliding the soapbox mostly back under the bed)

While I am typing this, I am printing envelopes for our fundraising for SkillsUSA to go to the Nat'l Farm Machinery Show in Louisville KY. My own insanity has caused me to agree to take 43 high school students on a day long into the night trip on Valentines Day. There is that Dierks Bentley song .. "What was I thinking?"
Still, it has been fun getting it ready. The students wanted to go. I had them write a letter to the Principal of GRC requesting permission to go, outlining all the positive effects it would have to their education. They did a great job and he agreed to let them go. Now, we have to raise the $790 to rent the bus and the $971 for tickets. We are selling candy, want some ?

That is part of the pulling the reins back title .. Every day is a new thing to do concerning this trip. Each day the list changes. Each day someone else wants to go. Yesterday the list stopped when I submitted the names to the National Skills USA organization. The list is now closed. 49 students joined. 43 are going on the trip. There will be many pictures taken. This will be a membership drive item for next year.

When I came here, the chapter was nearly extinguished. Membership was nearly rock bottom. The new Advisor was making some changes and number were growing. However, he left at the start of last year, leaving it all to me, with me not knowing very much about it. I have been learning on the job. This year is the highest number for membership in many many years. (patting myself on the back just a little) .. I am proud of the students and student leadership. They have kicked in marvelously.

I am hoping for a slowdown (another Dierks Bentley song, if memory serves me correctly.) With a month until the trip, and much left to do, I don't see that happening. Still, it is nice to dream. I think I need to learn the fine art of delegation.

Well, there you have it. Most of the stuff going on. Oh there is much more, but it is all the usual goings on. Kids stuff. House stuff. Car stuff. Sickness stuff. Work stuff. Bill stuff. You know, the usual.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Season

She wakes in the morning
The Winter of night still lingering
Her fiery hair still tousled
From the storms of darkness breath
Slowly the twinkle of Spring
Embarks upon its maiden dance
As the light begins to shine in her eyes
And ... once more ... life yawns into existence
Eventually the swiftness of Summer
will urge her footfalls
As the day launches into a run
Bright and fast, the summer sun blazes
Late the Fall chill fills the air
Haste calls all the louder
Winter approaches, creeping on silent feet
Calling the slumber king to reign once more
Every day I love her in all of her seasons

There are seasons of the day
That pass by, nearly in a blur
There are seasons of the week
Days of haste rushing into days of rest
There are seasons of the month
And seasons of the year
Each we spend together
I love her in all the seasons of her life

All her life and mine
Our seasons come and go and intertwine
Her Winters some days falling
As my Summer days are calling
My Summer sun finding a way
To keep her Winters chill at bay
Her Summer during my Fall
And times when Spring calls to all
Every day, I love her in all of her seasons

Eventually, our seasons will end
And others will carry on
As is the way of all living
But, until then,
In the chill, In the haste,
In the warmth, and in the fresh,
Every day, I will love her in all of her seasons.

Ron
January 13, 2007

Friday, January 12, 2007

Yes yess yesssssss

The long weekend is coming!

This has been one busy week, both in school and out.

There were too many trips to Lexington. We were out to help dad and went to BestBuy and got him a new laptop. He has finally killed his old one. Saturday, we went out and bought one for $1000. The salesman told us that it was going on sale the next day (shhhhhh don't tell his manager) for $850. He also told us that if we brought the receipt back within 14 days we would be refunded the difference. We took it to Dad and set it up for him, adjusted his preferences, downloaded the latest Java so he could play his games, set up his AOL (pretty good, an AOL'er at 76 yrs old,) and added his Quicken Quick Book®. We left him happy.

We were going to go out and karaoke, but Tammy wasn't feeling up to it. We decided that the stress lately has depleted her immune system and that is why she has stayed so sickly. Odd that she started getting sick right after Sierra and Jordan moved in temporarily. Love ya kids. Are you moving today?

Anyway, back to the laptop. I think it was Sunday, Dad called me and told me he couldn't get online anymore. It told him there was an error in the sign in. I tried to troubleshoot it over the phone, not wanting to do the 80 mile round trip to discover it was just a click. He figured it out. He uses dial-up. The computer was looking for DSL. Something he clicked. That saved a trip to Lexington.

Then, he calls on Tuesday. Nothing is working. Mom says he is computer illiterate. I think it is like most folks. They can operate well within the programs, but don't know a lot about programming language.

I am self taught. My first computer was in the early 80's. It was a Texas Instrument TI99-4A. The processor was a 3"x4"x3" box that plugged into the wall, with a keyboard cord slot and a coaxial that went to your TV (which operated as your monitor.) There were no floppy slots. There were no programs to buy. There was a book with Bill Cosby on the cover that explained computer language, so you could write your own programs. I wrote programs to play BlackJack and figured out how to do graphics. I also figured, since I was running it through my TV, that I could run it through my VCR and record it. It worked. I created graphics for several churches to use in the video ministries.

Tammy has a degree in Computer Science. She is a qualified Software writer.

We went to Dad's on Wednesday and reinstalled his operating system. We were meeting friends for dinner, so we left while itwass installing the applications. I told Dad we would be back to finish, and not to bother it. We had a good time at dinner, but as we were leaving, Dad calls and tells me he can't get online. Oh my, Dad, leave it alone. He has this patience issue, lol.

We stopped by friends house to see the new place (right around the corner from Dad) and then ran on over. It was the broadband issue again, as I hoped. He still needed the Java download, but that was for Tammy to do on Thursday, when she had to be in Lexington.

Some weeks, we manage to stay completely away from Lexington. Other weeks, it seems we can't stay out of it.

School has been OK. It hasn't been stressful. We have been busy with SkillsUSA planning a trip to the National Farm Machinery Show and Truck/Tractor Pull in Louisville. The bus is $750 and the tickets are $21. FUNDRAISING TIME!!

It never stops.

But, the three day weekend is coming !!

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Yes, I know

I have been neglecting you of late. I offer my sincerest apologies.

Look for some serious sucking up and catching up.


More to come ...