PG-13

Parental Guidance Strongly Suggested .. That is what PG-13 means.

One day after a record-shattering weekend for Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, an advocacy group is asking Burger King to stop the tie-in of its Kids Meals with the film because it is rated PG-13.

Guidance .. Noun
1 : the act or process of guiding
2 a : the direction provided by a guide b : advice on vocational or educational problems given to students

This group is asking Burger King to drop it's multimillion dollar campaign because the film is rated PG-13. Are they the only ones missing the 'guidance' part of this rating. The rating is to tell parents (who make the decision of what their children may or may not see) that there are things in this film that may be unsuitable for children under 13.

The rating itself places this decision into the hands of the parents. Those parents that think it is unsuitable don't have to take their kids to see the movie and they don't have to take their kids to Burger King. It is as simple as that. Why is it, when these advocay groups get a bee in their bonnet, they cannot see the simplest of solutions?

At home, Tammy and I decide what is too much for Kyle to see. We cannot protect him from everything , but we can (and do) preview some movies that we feel are borderline. Then, after seeing the movie, we decide if Kyle will see or not. Kinda what the rating implies, isn't it?

BK has, so far, refused to back down, claiming that the toys are based on all of the movies, only one of which (the latest) has the PG-13 rating. The rest were PG rated. Of the 31 toys, only 4 were related to the Sith.

I resent any advocay group trying to take something out of my hand as a parent. I will decide what is appropriate for my children to watch. I do not need some self-absorbed anal obsessive group that rides around looking for sin to tell me what kids meals are appropriate and which ones are not.

If you want to address the health content of said meals, that is fine. If you want to address the continuing problem of obesity in children. Please do so. Of course, we will blame the fast food industry. It will have nothing to do with the fact parents are not feeding their kids healthy lunches. It is just too convenient to stop at McD' or BK's or Wendy's. It is too much trouble to stop our busy weekends to fix our kids a healthy and nutritious meal.

For heaven's sake, let's keep toys that promote violence out of their hands while we stuff meals that will kill them down their throats.

Just my take. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to finish my Whopper and Fries.

My home ....

I was reading one of my regularly read blogs and it contained a question and comparison of how our homes reflect who we are. To a point, I think it does.

If my home is a reflection of me, it means that I am slightly cluttered with not enough space for all the things I have acquired. It is mostly organized, but you can find some things in the strangest places from time to time. It isn't dirty, just somewhere between full and overflowing.

When I think about it, that is exactly how my mind and heart are (the purest reflections of me).

My heart is filled to capacity with people that I love, but will always have room for one more.

My mind is a massive collection of knowledge, trivia, ideas, and random thoughts that can be found anywhere from time to time.

Both mind and heart are filled with things old and cherished and things new and modern. A new computer sits on an old worn and personal desk. A modern water bed is covered with an old antique hand quilted spread. My mind is filled with old values and new ideas. My heart is stocked with lifelong friends and some that I just met recently.

The mind and heart of a pack rat. I have more trouble throwing away friends than I have throwing away parts from something I have already replaced. My drawers are filled with old clothes and junk, tucked somewhat neatly away, out of sight, but not out of mind. There are things in these 'junk' drawers that I will never wear or use again, but they hold some sentimental value which overshadows any need for making room. My heart is just like that. New friends crowd in there with old friends.

Our book shelves are stocked and full of books, ranging from a 23 volume set of bible commentaries to the complete "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". My mind, likewise, operates in both areas. I can talk for hours about trivial things and shift gears and talk for hours about theology. We can talk about computers and how they work. We can talk about new changed in the electrical field. We can talk about innovations. Then, with passion matching we can talk about traditions steeped in antiquity. We can talk about truths that date back thousands of years. I have found, in my life, the way to reconcile these two seeming opposites.

The walls are covered with photos (memories). These range from photos of the kids to photos I have taken of sunsets and snowy days. There is even a poem I wrote superimposed on a photo I took and there is a painting I painted. It is interesting that I, a procrastinator, would favor pictures of sunsets (which represent the finishing of things).

There are antiques and 5 PC's and 4 laptops. There is a modern office chair and an antique rocker. There are low tech books and high tech satellite receivers. It is just organized chaos straining at the edge of spilling over ... YEP .. THAT'S ME !

OH yeah ..

Tuesday night ... Wednesday ... and Thursday

Tammy, the kids, and I will be at Natural Bridge State Park Resort. I will be in classes. Tammy and the kids will be in the pool.

So, There will be no blogging unless I can find internet access there. My laptop is down and it is the only one with a modem. There are 5 PC's at the house ... and 4 laptops. We are computer poor, lol.

And now another reversal

I remember as a kid that scientist came up with a theory that too much milk caused cancer. Then, there was the egg scare. It seems from time to time, some scientist will overdose a poor unsuspecting rat (that just took the job cleaning cages in the lab for extra money to pay for his kids tuition to Rattown University) on some everyday product (that rats never use on a regular, let alone excessive, basis) and declare that he has found a link to some carcinogen. The effect of this is twofold and immediate. The scientist gains notoriety and the public (in all their wisdom) rushes into a panic. The scientist stock (value) goes up and the product stock goes down.

Of course, I also remember when some other scientist or group of scientists came out and refuted the milk claim.

In my professional opinion as a licensed Master Electrician, we all have the potential for cancer within us. It is locked away in our cells. It lies dormant until some key, some product, some combination of things in our lives, unlocks the door. It isn't the same thing for everyone. For you it might be milk. For me it might be orange juice, or Bologna/cheese/onion/Mayo sammiches. Who knows ? There are (unfortunately) millions of cancer patients out there. Some have some things in common and some have nothing in common. Each did something, or did nothing (interesting theory that the right combination might cause or prevent cancer) to cause the disease to grow within them. It is deadly, yet non-contagious. How else do we explain, two people, living in the same house, eating the same foods, going to the same places, and one gets cancer and the other doesn't ?

Anyway, I digress.

The recent study/story I read is that sunshine may prevent cancer. WHAT ?!?!?!? (Hiding my bottles of sunscreen #5000 .. Mayonnaise)

Scientists are excited about a vitamin again. But unlike fads that sizzled and fizzled, the evidence this time is strong and keeps growing. If it bears out, it will challenge one of medicine's most fundamental beliefs: that people need to coat themselves with sunscreen whenever they're in the sun. Doing that may actually contribute to far more cancer deaths than it prevents, some researchers think.

The vitamin is D, nicknamed the "sunshine vitamin" because the skin makes it from ultraviolet rays. Sunscreen blocks its production, but dermatologists and health agencies have long preached that such lotions are needed to prevent skin cancer. Now some scientists are questioning that advice. The reason is that vitamin D increasingly seems important for preventing and even treating many types of cancer.

There ya have it, sunworshippers.

I think the key to cancer control is moderation. All things in moderation. We are such people of excess. God's children were desert people. They toiled in the sun. They dressed moderately. Their exposure to the sun was inevitable, but they covered their skin. I know the ultraviolet rays penetrated their clothes, but did not expose their skin to the volume of rays that laying by the pool for days does. AND I am not just picking on sunworshipping. It is everything we do. We don't know how to do anything in moderation. We are raised in a culture where excess is king. The man with the most toys wins. Obesity is the reigning cause of our ills. We over work, over eat, over spend, and over compensate. We aren't happy unless it is over the top. We over dress. We are the Dukes of overkill. Our shelves are overstocked. We are regularly over the edge.

Where was I ? Oh yeah ... Sunshine ...

So, get out there and enjoy the sun this summer, in moderation.

Saturday serene

It has been a peaceful Saturday, so far. Tammy and I went out this morning. We were going to Winchester to pick up a computer desk for Chella. It was an unused and unclaimed one in my shop. Along the way we stopped at a few yard sales.

When we got to the school and the desk was not there. I have no idea where it went. It was there Thursday.

On the return trip, we stopped at several yard sales. I guess we spent a total of 5 bucks.

We got home in time to find that Cleo has destroyed the bathroom. I left her in the bathroom to keep her from destroying the rest of the house. She had got under the sink and got a bag of cotton balls and had them strewn all over the bathroom. She had began to tear into a fresh bag of pads. She left claw marks all over the door and door frame. She scattered kitty litter everywhere. Tammy was ready to kill her. Tammy was having a Mary Kay party in under 4 hours. She still had party trays to fix and more to clean. The bathroom had already been cleaned. Not anymore.

While Tammy and the girls had fun with makeup, I hid in the bedroom. I did venture out to go to the kitchen a few times, as I was cooking some green beans for a cook out later today. I diced an onion, and shoestring cut a potato, and put a small bottle of Italian dressing in with the beans and boiled all the water away. They were delicious.

The party ended and we were off to my sisters house for the cookout. Her son, John, Jr. was in from the Navy. He proposed to his girlfriend there. She accepted.

The rest of the evening was food and friendship with family. It was a great time. All my girls were there. We just got home and I am sure we are in for the night.

And the work week comes slowly to its end

Friday is closing .. Just not fast enough.

Today has dragged on for an eternity. I am still in paperwork hell. I did get a nice break before lunch when I went to the weld shop and wired in an outlet (250v/3 phase/ 4 wire/ 50 amp) for their new plasma cutter. It was good to get my hands dirty. It just didn't last long enough. Then it was back to paperwork hell.

I tried to catch a few zzz's during lunch, but the fire alarm company finally showed up and began testing all the smoke detectors in the building. They had a can of smoke on a long pole. They would place this near the detector and spray smoke into it. BUZZZZ BUZZZZ. Then the guy in the office would shut it off. One to the next one. One by one. Every few minutes. BUZZZZ BUZZZZ. There went the idea of napping during lunch.

Paperwork hell ...

... My boss gave me a list of paper that I was supposed to be saving or creating all year long and filing in a curious gray file box that sat in my room all year. Only problem here is that I was not told this at the beginning of my year. Joe (boss) told me he didn't want to overwhelm me in the beginning. I guess it is ok to overwhelm me now. He was generous and gave me a day and a half to do four and a half months worth of paperwork. Hence, paperwork hell.

I looked at the box and the form and quickly admitted that I was completely lost. Joe and I sat down and he explained what I needed. That helped. I am well on my way. He graded me (assessment) in spite of the fact that the papers were not there. He graded me on what he knew I would put in the box. That took a little of the pressure off. Just a little, though. It still has to be finished so that I can do the next group of things that I know nothing about.

Tuesday night, Wednesday, and all day Thursday, Tammy, the kids, and I will be at Natural Bridge State Park. I will be in class and partaking in activities. Tammy and the kids will be hiking and laying by the pool. Kyle will no doubt be immersed in the clear cooling waters of the pool. It will be a short working vacation.

I also have a 2 day class in June, a 1 day class in June, a 5 day class in June, and a 5 day class in July. There might be a few others that I will attend along the way. Fun Fun

anyway ... The work week is creeping up on quitting time. I am off to see the sexy redhead. There might be singing tonight. There might be other fun tonight.

Y'all have a good Friday night.

Three things

Saw this on another bloggers blog .. Thought I would give it a go .. Feel free to email me yours at Handful0Trouble@aol.com

Three is a Magic Number

Three names you go by:

Ron
Honey
'Hey Teach'

Three screen names that you have had:

Handful0trouble
PhallusNWondrlnd
Feline Ingester

Three things you like about yourself:

My ability to find friends where ever I go
That I am surrounded and revitalized by the children I teach and/or live with
My touchable heart

Three things you don't like about yourself:

Superficially, my appearance
Medically, my arthritis and thyroid problems
Mentally, my lately lapsing memory

Three parts of your heritage:

German (mother .. full blood)
Indian (Cherokee on grandmothers side)
American Mix (and dang proud of it)

Three things that scare you:

Being unloved
Being unloved
Being unloved

Three of your everyday essentials:

Laughter
Love
A nice chilled Mt Dew

Three things you are wearing right now:

Jeans (broken in)
Hiking boots (broken in)
Denim Shirt (well worn)

Three of your favorite bands or musical artists (@ the moment):

Trace Adkins
Eric Heatherly
and the rest of the country genre singers

Three of your favorite songs:

Monday Morning Church
Cold one coming on
Seven Bridges Road
(all of which I karaoke)

Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:

Getting book # 1 published
Finishing book # 2
Getting Poetry published

Three things I want in a relationship:

Laughter
Respect
Frequent touching

Two truths and a lie: (in no particular order)

I love all my children (including step)
I have vast wealth hidden in mason jars in the back yard
I used to be a cold hearted arrogant bastard

Three physical things that attract you to the opposite sex:

Humor
Intellect
Nice boobs (just kidding)

Three things you can't do without:

Kind words
Loving touches
Close friends

Three of your favorite hobbies:

Writing
Cuddling
Singing

Three places you want to go on vacation:

Hawaii
Germany
Grand Canyon

Three things you just can't do:

Believe in myself
Forget a friend
Sleep through a night

Three things you want to do before you die:

find my perfect place
Know myself
Get my freaking thyroid under control (sheesh)

Three celeb crushes:

Don't really have any of those

Paper work day arrives full force

This has been a day of paper work. Lesson Plans, syllabi, curriculum, planning, and all manner of other official sounding State required papers. No time for blogging today.

I'll get mad about something and rant for a while later.

Time to grow up

I read this earlier today in a blog (www.indepundit.com) :

"THIS MORNING on my way to work, I noticed the car in front of mine had a Christian "fish" symbol affixed to the back. The history of this symbol is worth noting. The Romans viewed the early Christians as a threat to the authority of the Emperor, and sought to wipe out the small but growing faith. Since the symbol of the cross was commonly associated with Christianity, the early Christians adopted the fish as a secret sign, to help them identify themselves to one another.

The origins of this symbol are believed to come from Mark 1:17 ("Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."), or possibly as an acrostic from the Greek "ichtus" (Iesous CHristos THeou Uiou Soter," or Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior). Either way, the symbol is meant to be a statement of Christian faith.

Except this fish didn't have the customary "Jesus" inside the body, nor the Greek alternative "ΙXΘYΣ." Instead, this fish had "'N CHIPS" on the inside. It was clear the the driver wasn't professing her own faith, but mocking that of others. I've seen other variations of this, including the ubiquitous "DARWIN" fish eating the smaller "JESUS" fish. And despite the fact that I'm a Christian by baptism and faith, I've even caught myself laughing at a few of these more creative desecrations.

You see, the fish isn't actually Jesus, but a symbol of His church. And just as burning the American flag doesn't really harm America, neither does making fun of a fish hurt God. So, while I don't condone such desecrations, neither do I feel that such extreme reactions as rioting in the streets or declaring holy war are warranted in response. I think most Americans would agree.

So why do we hold Muslims to a lower standard?"

I must say that I agree. Other races and creeds try to use the history of America to shame us into allowing their own immature behavior. When you were a kid and got caught doing something stupid or wrong, your first response was to point out the error of someone else. It did not excuse your behavior. It did not erase your actions. It did not make the results of said actions non-existent.

OK, at some point in our nations infancy, we had slaves. These slaves were Africans sold by Africans. Today, only the stigma of the owners remains as a reason for elevated crimes by blacks. We have somehow forgotten that the self same Africans sold the slaves to the slave market. I, personally, had nothing to do with such actions nor do I condone them. No African living today was involved in this process either. We are more than a generation removed from this atrocity. It is time to move on and leave that lay on the sidewalk.

It is time to become responsible for your own actions. Stop perpetuating wrongful acts by excusing them based of some misguided belief that your beliefs are harmed by actions against a symbol of your faith. An altered fish on the back of a car does not take a thing away from the power of my God. My God lives in all of nature. His presence fills all of the universe. He lives in the hearts of millions throughout the world. You cannot diminish His fullness.

If the God of Islam is diminished by abuse to his book, he is not much of a deity. It is time for his followers to grow up.

Understand, I know there are immature followers of Christ as well. They need to grow up as well.

And so it begins .. The end

The last day of school for this 04-05 year has begun.

There were last minute instructions by the principal. There are evaluation forms. Grades are due by tomorrow.

My first/second period students are here watching "American History X" and playing X-Box. One of the students called his work (Little Ceasars) and talked them into delivering pizza at 8:45 this morning.

3rd block is going to finish the final (they had a shortened class yesterday and were helping with 5th graders on Friday).

4th block will be in their usual form, joking and touching.

5th block has one student with an extra credit paper due (to bring his grade up to a "D").

And then it is no students until some time in August .. Not sure how I feel about that.

Unfocused energy

Today is a day of unfocused energy in a couple of my classes. They have taken the final test and completed the final project. We have two more classes with nothing to really do. Therefore, they have nothing to focus their energy upon. When this happens, this usually turns to mischief for this block. It isn't the case for the entire block, but there are a few that are unable to handle the extra time. They do have finals on the Hill and the schedule is being adjusted to accommodate that.

One student, a part of the triangle of calamity, is finishing his final test. He says he ran out of time on Friday. I am all for chances. I hate to flunk anyone, even though 3 student are flunking. I will help anyone willing to work, to pass this class. I will not give a grade just to help ya pass. One must earn the grade, but I will do everything I can, short of giving the answers, to help.

During the final project, one student came to me and asked if the 3 way switch hooked up a certain way. I reminded him that this was the final test project, given to test whether he knows how to do this or not. Then I added, "and I don't know why you ask me questions, to which you already know the answer."

When I was in voc-school, I had an instructor that would walk around during the testing. He would stop and look at your work as you were working. If he noticed a wrong answer, he would touch it and cough. He didn't tell answers, but he did alert you to problems you needed to rethink.

The goal of teaching is to impart knowledge. The goal of testing is to determine if the imparting has worked. The grade is to measure the effect of the knowledge. It is a necessary evil. Some students will never try if there is no system of measure or reckoning. Testing tests the ability of the teacher as well as the ability of the student. When a student in my class is failing, I look at myself as well as that student. Did I do everything I could to help that student learn? Did I answer his questions as fully as necessary? Did I explain the lesson or task sufficiently? Did the student fail, or did I ?

The students I have, that are failing, are not my fault. I have done the soul searching. I did my job and then some. 3 of 23 failed my class. Even those 3 have somewhat more knowledge than they did before we began. These 3 decided, somewhere along the way, that playing was more important. One turns in tests with less than half the questions even attempted. Each test includes some multiple choice and some true/false questions. You have a 50/50 chance on the true/false and a 25% chance on the multiple choice. Of the 47 questions on my final, 20 were multiple choice and 6 were true/false. 12 were work problems involving math with 93 answers. The remaining question were divided between fill in the blank questions and write in answers.

Any volunteers to take it ?

Contest

When we got to Todd's last night, we found that he was having a mini karaoke contest, limited to around 12 competitors. It was a warm up for the bigger (he hopes) contest on the 19th of May. There were 13 singers in this one, of which I was one. Congrats to the winners: Hamp, Tommy, and Jimmy.

It was a great night. There were several old friends that I hadn't seen for a while. It was great to see Mandy and Kevin, John and Mary, Randy and Christy, Linda, and it is always great to see Russ. It was great to see Jimmy T, Johnny, and their wives.

We stayed way late. It was nearly 1 AM when we made it home. I don't think I am cut out for this late night life anymore. Life is catching up with me.

Time for today's running. Y'all have fun.

60 fifth graders

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH !!









just kidding

Ordinary

I am just a regular kinda guy. I don't see myself as extraordinary at all. I just do what I think is right. I try to treat others as I would like to be treated.

I was reading my honeys blog today (www.troubleshandful.blogspot.com) and she mentioned some things that give the impression that I am some kind of special guy that doesn't exist anymore. I think that guys like me abound in this world. Everywhere, there are guys loving their wives and doing the right things. There are guys that love the children of their second wives. There are still guys that open the door for their lady. There are still guys that take care of the things that need to be taken care of.

I think the problem is, that too many ladies and gents are looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place. I cannot whole heartedly say that you can't meet a great person online, because I have met many. Everyone I met was not nice. Everyone I met did not make it into my circle of friends. There are some jerks out there of both genders. They are quite expressive, especially online. The anonymity of the computer screen and keyboard give them a false boldness that is simply rudeness wearing another mask.

As for my extraordinary-ness, I just found a nearly perfect fit. I am not perfect. Tammy is not perfect. We are, however, perfect for each other. That is extraordinary.

I know Tammy will disagree, but that is her right.

What a day ...

It is pandemonium around here almost. The students have an official free day. We (the ATC) are grilling sausage patties and hot dogs this morning for the students. We are grilling burgers and dogs this afternoon. There is no way to capture the students attention or turn it toward learning when food is present. They are eating and playing basketball.

I was manning the table, taking tickets, and explaining the 'rules'. "Two eats and one drink"

All or most of the first two periods have now made their way thru the line and have settled down to where they are eating and socializing. It is still 20 minutes before the next block of students shows up. So, I have a few minutes of peace. I have hidden myself away in my cave. One of the teachers here says I stay in my cave. Hey ! This is where I can let the feeling out through my fingertips. This is where I grade my students. This is where I prepare my work. This is where I research to improve my lessons. This is not my cave, it is my sanctuary. This is where I can control the air and stave off the encroaching madness.

Actually, it is just easier to be in one place. I have my classroom upstairs and my shop downstairs. Where else do I need to be? Except for occasional trips to the 'potty', I try to be where they know how to find me.

The deceptive magic of the do-over

Someone on one of my regular blogs mentioned things that they might do over if they had the chance. She talked about changing the major of her education. That one change, however, would alter many aspects of her life and invariably cause her not to be in the exact spot she was when she met her partner and husband.

I commented to her blog about the way one change makes ripples throughout our entire life. We are the sum of our actions. There is a term in real estate, assimilation I think, that means the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. This simply means that a units or group of properties have more value together than if you tried to sell them a piece at a time. We are like that. We are so much more than any block of our lives set aside. There have been men that rose to greatness from one or more failures, but if judged by one or two life events, they would be overlooked. Harry Truman failed several times before succeeding as President of the United States of America.

I shudder to think of the changes that might have occurred in my life if just one seeming insignificant fact was changed. At the end of my senior year in HS, I had the opportunity to go to Germany with my uncle and work there for the summer or more. College was looming in the near future and I passed on this opportunity to see the homeland of my mother. I stayed in the states and went on to become a college dropout. It was that summer I met my first wife. We divorced after 20 years, but had three beautiful daughters that continue to bring joy to my life. One little trip could have changed all that.

When we look at one event and consider all the things that had to happen just for it to be possible, it is mind boggling. The ramifications of conscious and unconscious decisions is staggering. We are creatures of wonder and we will always wonder 'what if.' For me, while I may wonder, I am content to leave my past in my past and live in the joy I have in my life.

Whether you hold to the belief that we are solo sojourners in this life or that we are being led by divine providence, it doesn't matter. You are who you are because of what happened yesterday. Tomorrow is a field covered with a fresh blanket of snow, awaiting tracks to create a trail, to lead to the next day, and the next, and the next.

I can change my future, right now. I can make new and clamorous decisions. I can pick any direction and travel. However, I am stuck with my past. It makes me who I am. I can take the lessons of the past and be a bitter person or a better person. That choice is mine.

Well, here I am, thinking too much again, as my honey says.

I'm gonna turn the brain down a notch, finish grading projects, enter grades in the book, and try to come home for a few minutes before heading off to a board meeting.

Y'all come back now, ya hear ?

Eureka !!

a break through ..

I have 22 students over the course of the day. I expect that I will nearly double that next year. Of the 22 students, there are:

6 students with averages that are in the "B" area.

9 students with averages that are in the "C" area.

5 students with averages that are in the "D" area.

2 students with averages that are in the "F" area.

One of my "F" students came to me today with a question and a comment. It seems as how his grandfather (with whom he resides) bought a couple new window units to keep the place cool this Summer. He got the units home and put them in the windows. When he tried to plug them into the outlet, it was a 'no go'.

It turns out that his outlets at home were old style outlets with only two slots and no ground prong slot. The new AC's had three prong plugs on them. His grandfather picked up a few newer receptacles and they proceeded to change them out. "R" did two and his GF did one. He said he was amazed that he knew as much as he did. However, there was a problem. There was no ground wire in the box. He asked if that were a problem.

It is not a problem, persey, but it is not a desirable situation either. The AC's will work without the ground, but it is a much useful safety feature. I gave "R" an extra credit assignment to help his grade. It is an essay type assignment. He is to explain to me why they changed the outlets and how. He is also try to come up with a couple solutions to the no-ground problem.

He seemed genuinely excited that he was able to change out the outlets, but even moreso that he recognized a problem.

Hopefully this light is not too long in the tunnel to help.

Winding down on a Sunday

It has been a good Mother's Day Sunday.

We picked Carol up this morning and kept her most of the day. She went to church with us. Mom was there. It was great to see many of my old friends.

After church, we took Carol home and then headed to the movies. We saw "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," which was hilarious. I must admit that if you haven't read the books, or are at least familiar with them, you might be lost.

It is just after 10 and the bed is calling.

Hey Russ, it called earlier, but there was no sleeping. You needed to know that.

There were many good things about today. Too many to list alphabetically or chronologically, but still many good things. Suffice it to say, the day was grand. I spent the day in the company of a beautiful woman that is head over heels in love with me and I with her. That is a great day, alphabetically or chronologically.

The kids cleaned the house as a gift to Tammy. They did well and it was wonderfully appreciated.

On a sad note, Cleo, once again nipped at Kyle, breaking the last straw. Tammy says she has to go. This is heart breaking for Tammy. She is quite attached to the little bugger. We are, once again, looking for a home for a dog. That seems to be our most repetitive action this year.

The flower chauffeur

Today, Tammy was to deliver flowers for mothers day to help out a friend that owns a flower shop. Yesterday, she did the same, but had Sierra or Chelsea to help her. Tammy did the driving. The kids did the leg and wrist work. She had planned on doing the same today, but the kids would be sleeping. I told her that I would be the driver. That way, we would be able to spend the day together.

So, this morning we get up and head out. We pick up flowers to deliver. We stop by here to get directions from MapQuest. Armed with directions, we headed out.

Lexington has to be the dumbest street city in the world. Streets are not marked. Some are just marked wrong. There are no maps up to date enough to keep up with Lexington and its road changes. We made 20 deliveries today. Some were nearly impossible to find. For the last 6 or so, we split up, armed with cell phones. Chella helped her and I manned the computer to feed them directions. Chella helped with 15 overall. Sierra helped with 7 overall. Tammy was involved in all 34 deliveries. I helped (chauffeured) with 12 deliveries. Tammy gets $6 per delivery. She splits it with the kids when they help. All I asked was to have my tank filled after the deliveries. The rest can buy Tammy's gas in her van and cigs.

It makes for a long day.

The flower shop still has 50 deliveries for Monday.

Ah, the immortality of youth

It is amazing to me how young people think. I know that I had to be the same way at one time, but it seems rather foreign to me now. I have come to realize that young people do not think they are immortal, as I previously assumed. They have a built in blinder that disables their ability to see consequences of their actions. Somewhere along the path to maturity, those blinder fall off ... Sometimes.

Heather calls me today to see if I can come get her at vocational school. She is a health services student there. She really enjoys the class and the work. She seems rather anxious to be picked up by me or by Tammy. When I begin to question her about why, she begins the explanation with ... "Well, you know how I haven't smoked pot in 3 months ... " I interrupted with, "you fell off of the wagon?" It turns out (according to her) that she stopped this morning to pick up Whitney for school, and because she has been so stressed out over the Aaron (BF) situation, she took a hit or two. When they get to school, the principal asked to see them in the office. They are clueless as to how he knew. ANYWAY, he tell them that they all must call their parents to get them and take them home.

Heather calls me. She doesn't call her mom, with whom she lives. She even asks if Tammy can come get her since I am working. Tammy is helping Sierra deliver flowers for Mothers Day. There is no one here that can give her the needed ride. She gets a ride with Whitney's mom and that is settled. The ride part, that is.

I told her that she had to tell Kaye. She has to tell her tonight. If she doesn't tell her tonight, I will tell her tomorrow. She has my silence until tomorrow.

She called me back a short time later. She was all teary and jittery. It seems the principal has told them that they are looking at 5 days suspension from both schools. Heather is now very scared to tell Kaye. I do not relent. She tells or I do. I also informed her that whatever punishment that Kaye imposes is in effect if she is at my house this weekend (we do have plans). She understands. She told me she would call me when she had told her mom.

The immortality of youth is in the fact that they never see the consequences of their actions. They are never going to wreck. They are never going to get caught. They are never going to fall. There are no consequences resulting from the stupidity of their actions. NOW, Heather sees the consequences. NOW, Heather sees the end result (somewhat). She doesn't understand that driving to school after taking a few hits is driving impaired. It is like drinking and driving. Had she been stopped along the way by a law officer, the results could be exponentially worse.

Heather is close to that age when your actions start following you around. She needs to begin seeing around the blinders.

Passed

The safety inspector for the state just left my class. I have a passing grade. I have a safe classroom and shop.

On to other news ... Sometimes it is so easy to be generous in acceptance. Other times it just seems easier to be harsh. It takes so much less work to find that place where something someone does in appealing. I try not to judge others by what I might do in their situation. Still, at times, the easy road of intolerance seems like the best way. In my heart, I know. In my head, I even know. Somewhere between head and heart, and my mouth, the message gets lost.

There is a Trace Adkins song, that I have karaoke'd, called, "I'm Trying". ... And I am.

I wonder if it is just a spilling over. There are so many times when other things seem to call for that rage: driving, shopping, standing in line at the bank, and 1000 other times when time stands still and some moron has gummed up the works. How much of that does it take before the lines between that and the way we deal with friends and family become blurred? I am not looking for an excuse. I am looking for explanations. I must make a constant conscience choice to extend love and tolerance to everyone. I don't have to agree. I don't have to think it is a good thing. I don't have to endorse the action. I DO need gentle understanding. I need more of it out from within as well as some from without inward. Regardless, I have to live with me. Lately, living in my skin has been a struggle. Perhaps that is sunshine I see breaking the horizon. OR ... Maybe it is the lights of an oncoming train ...

Oh my gosh !!

It has been 3 days since I blogged !!

It has been a hectic 3 days at that. There has been much going on, in school and at home. I can assure you that we are all alive and well in both places. There are no bodies to be buried.

The network has been down at school for a couple days. We are just now (30 minutes ago) up and running. So, here is a quick blog fix. There will be much more to follow, I am sure.

An old friend died this week. We have known each other since we were both in our teens. She was a few years older than me, but we were both part of a core group of young people in the church pastored by my father. She found out 3 weeks ago that they did not get all the cancer that they previously claimed they did. They gave her 2 months to live. She made it 3 weeks. There will be reflective times and writing to follow. The visitation is tonight.

School is winding down. I am working on the final exam and project. This is a chance for those in my class to add 300 points to their grade. Some need it, but those that do need it will not get it unless they change the way they study or take tests. They need the help for the same reasons that they will not do well. It involves attitude and choices.

More for later

Levels of communication

When I was working in Indiana, Tammy and I communicated well. Our friends thought it was weird. We would be online, talking in the chatroom, and talking in Instant Message, and also be on the phone talking, and none of the 3 conversations be related. OKAY, that may be different, but it is just part of us. Our minds work on several levels at once. It is just the way we work.

We have added a new dimension to our communications. We now have the blog-sphere. Tammy and I communicate, sometimes, through our blogs. They give us a brand new way to say that things that need to be said. They are just another way to reach a new place within ourselves. Knowing us as well as we do, it is easy to read what is written by reading what is not written. While you are reading about our days, and our nights, we are reading our hearts. While you are reading our passions about the issues of the day, we are reading about the things bothering the other. While you are reading, we are reading.

Just another sweet level to communicate with my honey.

Meeting me yesterday .. or so

I told Tammy about my past (not that it is all sordid). There are some things that she has trouble believing. I told her that I was lacking in compassion when I was younger. It is true, even if it is difficult for her to believe. I have told the story before about my conversion to the sweet lovable guy that I am today. I wont rehash that.

Sometimes, no matter how hard ya try, ghosts still have a way of resurfacing. They come back when you are not watching. They pop up when stress or tiredness invade your life. They tend to polarize you. You, literally, become like two people. One is the person you have worked so hard to become. The second is the person you killed years before.

My past lack of compassion manifested itself mostly in the form of intolerance. It was intolerance for the mistakes of others.

In the past few weeks, I have felt it creeping in. The kids make a mistake and I feel it.

What kills me most is that anyone, a stranger, can make a mistake and it doesn't bother me. If it is someone close, however, it creeps up in me. Perhaps, it is, that seeing a 'weakness' (loosely used) in someone close like that, points out a shortcoming in myself. I remember Dad taking all my mistakes, and I made them, as a personal statement of his parenting skills. He and Mom did a great job parenting. Still, with all of the kids already in their 40's, they take it as a personal failing when we don't get along, or when we make a mistake. I try, as best as I can, to convince he and mom that it isn't their fault. It seems I have inherited that trait. It just exists as a ghost that pops it head out every now and then.

This is hoping that facing the ghost, chases it away, even if it is just for now.

One difference ... This time I have a friend, willing to help me be the best me I can be.

Thanks Honey. I love you more every day.

Laughing until I cry

Friday night and last night were trips to hilarity.

Friday , we went out to eat at Friends & Co. It is always a good trip to Friends. It is a restaurant/sports bar. We go there regularly to watch UK play sports and/or to eat. Good food, good prices, great company.

Both nights of the weekend we went to Todds to karaoke. Russ met us at Todd's as did another friend, Todd. Once there, we discovered that Todd (owner) is having a Karoke Contest on Thursday, May 19th. The first place winner gets $75, second place gets $35, and third, fourth, and fifth get $20 a piece. At some point during the weekend visits, Tammy and Todd decided that it would only be fair if I were only allowed to enter once. There are other contests scattered around the city.

Anyway, the hilarity was outside the bar. Those non-Lexingtonians that read this have to understand that, Lexington, in the heart of Kentucky, the tobacco state, has a smoking ban which prohibits smoking in ANY public building. It is a common sight in Lexington to see smokers sitting outside the doors of eating and/or drinking establishments enjoying their smokes. Tammy smokes. I do not, but I am often outside with the smokers because many of our friends smoke as well.

Friday night, we were also visited by Gary (best man at our wedding). It is his birthday weekend. He will be 48 on Monday. We were outside joking around and dying in laughter. It was great. At one point in the evening, Russ (who had been imbibing earlier in the evening) decided he was exhausted and went home. Gary went back to the bar across the street (his regular hang out .. Friends). We were then joined at todd's by late arriving David, Vickie, Susan, and Sturgill. We knew David already, the other we had only talked to in the chatroom. It was great to meet them, finally.

We both sang one more song and went home.

Saturday, we took Kyle (9) to see the helicopter and meet Officer Don, who does the traffic reports for several local radio and TV stations in the mornings and afternoons. He got in the helicopter and I took his pic. It is a small thing, only weighing 900 pounds. That was fun.

The evening, it was back to Todd's. Tammy stated before we went that she didn't want to stay long. I told her that was fine by me. We would leave whenever she said she wanted to go. The crowd was a bit more sparse than it was Friday night. A few friends, Karen and Mike were there when we arrived, as was Dwayne, a friend from another circle. We secured a couple tables close to the door and proceeded to fill the night with music. Russ eventually joined us, then Gary, then Kevin and Donna (haven't seen in a while). The hilarity began again. We didn't leave until nearly midnight. Tammy decided, in the midst of the laughter, that she wanted to stay more than a little bit.

Here it is Sunday morning. The laughter no longer makes my face ache. It just tickles my heart. It has been a good weekend thus far. We will see how it finishes.

Tammy just brought me a bowl of Captain Crunch with Crunchberries. Wahhhooooooooo. Time to roll off of here for a bit.

Y'all come back now, ya hear ?

Friday smile

I have my Friday smile on my face.

It isn't a 'hate my job' smile. I love my job. I will love it even more when I have a book from which to teach, and some training in the teaching skills (National Teachers Institute class scheduled for June 13th).

I love working with the kids (even if some do try my patience). I enjoy their energy. I soak it up all days to supplement mine. It amazes me that some only feel the drain of teaching. I feel the energy. It gives me great hope to see some of the kids and their zeal to make a good life. Mind ya, most are still kids with kid things in mind. Some are still immature and unable to control themselves fully. They can't seem to help their actions.

I had one student hand his camera phone to another student, quickly lower his pants, and the second student took his picture. It was all over in 5 seconds. I could have overreacted and created a difficult time both students. I made a decision to confiscate the phone. I gave it back after class. Interestingly enough, the phone owner's mom was in the building today and spoke with me. I told her of the situation. I told her that it was kids being kids (OKAY .. A little more than that .. but ..).

BUT .. It is Friday. It is sing night. It is 'night before the sleep in' day. Here is my Friday smile

:D

Sunrise

There is something undeniably calming about the slicing of light as it slides across the horizon .. Chasing away the heretofore smothering darkness ..

seeing the sun break the horizon ..
seeing the sword of the sun tear the fabric of the sky ..
seeing the brilliant lights of oranges and yellows and reds pierce the curtain of darkness ..
seeing the sunrise come in like a flood, washing away the haze of yesterday ..

No matter how many ways you write or tell it, it is nearly impossible to adequately depict the effect of watching the birth of a new day. I know in my mind that this day started at midnight last night. I know in my head that the day is almost 7 hours old before the sun breaks the veil of darkness. I know, in my intellect, that the path of the spinning ball we call Earth has once again turned us toward the massively gaseous orb called Sol.

I used to watch it 'rise' as I drove to work. I work east of my home, so I drove into that sunrise. For the moment, turmoil is suspended. Chaos continues, but somewhere else. On that stretch of interstate, the rays of the morning sun crawl their way into the landscape. Shadows tremble and then run, hiding themselves from that warmth and brightness. Serenity is defined in sunrises.

Since the time change, the sun is already made that that journey before I leave for work. That just sucks. Somedays, I really need that sunrise.

One line

All I want to say is what I want to hear.

It seems there are those that play the verbal ping pong game. You know about ping pong. I hit the ball to you. You hit the ball back to me. REPEAT. There are some folks that tell you something just to elicit a certain response back from you.

They tell you something with a lingering hook on the end of their statement, meant to grab you and draw you into a response. That kind of behavior irks me. When I have something to tell you, I'll tell you. When I don't have anything to tell you, I won't tell you. No amount of slapping the words in my direction is going to drag words out of my mouth that I ain't feeling like saying at the moment.

When I tell you something, it is because I am feeling it at the moment and I feel inclined to share.

This is not the result of anything going on in my life at the moment. It was just a one liner that popped into my head and wouldn't leave. So, here it is, popping out of my mouth (or the end of my fingers).

one line

Sometimes being lost is easier than knowing just where you are.

Welcome back to the work week

Today I had to remind one of my more rambunctious blocks that, while I did desire to be their friend, I was determined to be their teacher. If I could only do one of those things, teacher was going to be the winner.

One of the other blocks got the favor speech. The soft drink machines are locked in a 'no sale' status during classes. I have a key which will unlock this feature and allow sodas to be sold. They always want to go to this soft drink machine (Which is sometimes left on accidentally) and buy sodas to drink during class. I, personally, have no problem with the students drinking soda during the time we are working in the shop. I told them today that I was doing them a favor by unlocking the machine. I expected favors in return. I explained that their recent behavior was no favor. I told them I didn't give a rats ass if they liked me or not, but I was going to be the teacher in the class.

We are trying to catch the classes up. Some were here during the CATS testing and some weren't. Therefore, I have students that have taken tests and students that need to take the test. What I am doing is allowing the students that have already taken the test to retake it to try to get a better grade (good news for the couple that got 9% on the last test). So far, many have taken advantage of this offer and improved their scores.

We are in the final block of the day now and Travis Jones drones on. Travis Jones is the narrator for this series of DVD's. The guys think he is a little light in the britches.

On your mark .. Get ......

GO !!!!

What a busy Saturday. We were on the go most of the day and most of the evening. We were in Winchester, we were in Lexington, we were in Georgetown, we were back in Lexington. We were at school, we were at Sam's Club, we were at a party, we were at a dinner, we were at a board meeting, we were at a group meeting, and we managed to sing a little karaoke.

For all of it's running, it was still a good day. The only thing that was out of place was the snow. We were driving home from the karaoke thing when suddenly the air was filled with flying falling snow. It was great. We stopped at Thornton's close to the house so Tammy could get some cigs and while waiting for her, I lowered my window and hers so that the snow would blow through the truck. It was great.

Now it is time to cuddle in the warm waterbed. Later all.

FRIDAY ... Once again

Friday is finally here. The week has been dragging. The fact that there were no students here for the first half of the day has thrown my entire schedule off. It has made the days twice as long.

Let me just take a moment and say that "Napoleon Dynamite" was one of the dumbest movies I have ever tried to ignore in my life. That is my free personal opinion. No charge to ya.

So, here we are on another Friday trying to catch up the classes that missed the quizzes that the rest of the classes took. The classes ahead in the quizzing are working on a community class project. I am trying to even them out again. It is much easier when I am teaching the same thing to all classes. That will only work this year, though. Next year, I will be teaching two distinctly separate classes. One will be a repeat of this year. The second/afternoon class will be the continuation of this years class.

Mike Durbin, Owner of Thoroughbred Electric, stopped by this morning for a visit and to tour our class and shop. He was impressed. He wants to donate material (Yipeeeee). He has invited me to bring my classes to any of his residential projects here in Winchester. It will be a great chance for them to get a look at real life work and a chance to get a little hands on outside class experience. I invited him to join my Advisory Committee. He accepted.

Tammy called at the beginning of lunch. She gave me the news, good, bad, and indifferent. I just love hearing her voice, even if it is bad news. I don;t enjoy the bad news, but I do love talking with her. Yeah, I know, we are strange.

Tonight, we will be out and about. There is karaoke to be done and we are just the duo to do it.

I am sure there will be much to be reported. This looks like it will be a busy weekend. Sleep may suffer. Which is cool, as long as sex doesn't suffer. I just love the feel of Tammy next to me. I love the feel of her flesh against mine. I love her softness in her soft places and the hardness of her hard places. I love her sweet taste and hot tongue. (Did I mention that I sometimes write erotic literature? Hit me up for a sample if you are interested.) I must stop before I venture into the TMI area for Russ.

Look for more later ... much later ...

Overflow

While some classrooms are not available on the hill, the students that are testing in the afternoon are here in the ATC. They have been mostly in Harriet's room. Today, there was an overflow. I have about 25 students in my classroom. Most are watching 'Napoleon Dynamite'. There are 4 guys that have hooked their PS2 up to one of the extra TV's and are playing a football game. There are donuts and drinks.

Yesterday, I have my regular morning class in the afternoon. They were completely unfocused. We watched a DVD on service entrance and took a quiz. The high score was 57%. One student pulled off a 9%. This testing pulls them completely out of their routine. I never fully realized the importance of a routine for kids like I do today.

This afternoon, I have my afternoon class. They will still be unfocused, as their morning has been completely out of the normal routine.

Ah, the life of a teacher ...

The feeding frenzy begins

Let me start off by saying that I am not a Catholic, but if you wish to discuss the beginnings of the Catholic Church and subsequent history, I can still hang with ya. This post is in no way meant to be disrespectful of the new Pope and/or the Catholic Church. It is just a post about the media feeding frenzy.

Last night, while watching the news, there was a story about a local nun that met the new Pope before he became the Pope. OK, the Pope is 78 years old. He has been the Pope for less than 48 hours. There have to be thousands of people covering the last 78 years that met Cardinal Ratzinger while he was just a parish priest, and thousands more that met him as he rose through the ranks. Suddenly, a local nun has notoriety because she met him years ago. As if, in some brief meeting, she can now give the world insight into the next popes reign.

Later, on the national news, one commentator said that experts were saying that this Pope's length in office will probably not be as long as the last pope. OK, he is 78 years old. Pope John Paul was Pope for 28 years. If he is to outdo John Paul, he will have to live to be over 104 years old. Brilliant deduction there, experts.

The media is spreading it's blanket. Soon we will know everything there is to know about Pope Benedict XVI. I cant wait to find out if he prefers the toilet paper to roll off the front of the roll or off the back of the roll. Enquiring mind, ya know?

ABC Drivers

I have driven in 3 cities today. I have come to the conclusion that some folks with licenses still have no business driving at all. I am now a firm believer in retesting for drivers license every 5 to 10 years, more so as a person ages. However, bad driving is not an age dependent thing. There are young bad drivers and old bad drivers. Retesting should be done under different driving conditions such as rain, snow, and rush hour. Provisional licenses and license plates should be issued according to the testing results.

The provisions should be something along these lines:

A
Drive anytime in any weather during any season. Drive with any number of passengers of any age. Drive under adverse conditions (mother in law in car, AC not working, bad radio reception, etc.) without restrictions. Drive in the city or on the highway.

B
Drive only on sunny days and non rush hours times. Not allowed to drive with small children that are subject to whining or irritating. Not allowed to drive under adverse rage inducing conditions. Drive restricted to side streets and parallel or service access roads.

C
Only allowed to drive between the hours of 9 - 11 AM and 1-3 PM unless raining, snowing, sleeting, or any other water produced weather effect. Not allowed to drive with any passengers that might distract them or be killed by their otherwise lousy driving. Driving is restricted to neighborhood driving, driving to Wal-Mart, or driving to doctor appointments for eye exams.

D
Don't drive. The car is just for a status symbol. There should be no engine in the car so that the owner will never be tempted to 'take it out on the open road'. Waxing is optional.

Have a nice driving day.

Who we are ..

I was reading a web post of one of my students and he had asked the thought provoking question .. "Who are we?"

Many times in my life I have pondered this question. There are glib answers abounding, of course. There are the socially right and morally right answers. There are the Biblically right answers. There are antagonistic and smooth answers. Mostly, there are individual answers.

One of the first times I contemplated (seriously) this question, I was a greatly busy man. I was working as an electrician, being a husband and father, being an assistant pastor, Sunday school teacher, bible class teacher, lead singer in the choir, playing guitar for the church, holding position of District Elder for the state of Kentucky, and a few other things. I began to lose sight of who I was in the abundance of the things I was doing. Each of these things were integral to who I was, but each one was taking more of me than I had to offer. I came to the realization that I had to stop. I had to get my list down to the one or two things that I wanted to do best and drop the rest.

It is best to do a couple things you love and do them well, than to do too many things and none of them very well.

Still yet, the question persists.

At a later date, I had to figure out if the things in my life that I enjoyed were really the things I enjoyed or did I just do them because they were expected of me. Sometimes, we follow the path before us just because it is the one before us. That is way some folks make sudden shifts in their life. They realize the reason for the path they are walking, and make the changes to find the path they want. Reinventing oneself is often not really reinventing as much as it is rediscovering oneself. To discover oneself, you have to step outside of yourself. Those around you will not understand. Just be ready for that.

While I am on this journey to the Human I am Becoming, I hope that the Human I am Being keeps an even keel.

Dragging every last minute out ..

weekends come and go so quickly, it seems. This one has not been any exception.

Today just zipped as it seemed to pick up speed once it started that downhill surge. We lazed around for some of it, which was a good thing. Tammy and I went to a gathering at the National Association of Letter Carriers union hall. We were there to talk with and to listen to Congressman Ben Chandler. Ben is the Congressman of the sixth district of central Kentucky. (an interesting sidebar, Ben and I used to play ping-pong during lunch in high school. While he did not remember me personally, he did remember the ping-pong games during lunch.) It was a good time.

We are now having a good time with Chella (who has fallen victim to the invasion of the body snatchers) doing homework from school about the Bible. She thinks that 20 years as an ordained minister might help.

The body snatchers thing ... About 2 months ago, Chella went through some kind of transformation from a lazy teenager to a 'help any way I can' teenager. Mind you, we are not complaining. We are just looking for what caused it so we can spray it on the rest of the kids. The pup (which does understand that he can poop outside but doesn't grasp the idea that it is the only place he should poop,) can lay a pile in the hallway to the front door. They will step over it 4 of 5 times as they go in and out and it never crosses their minds to clean it up. We won't even go there with their rooms. OMGosh. It is scary. Tonight ... We are having a family meeting and this is going to change or other things are going to change. The TV can go. The friends can go. The boyfriend/fiance can go. Enough is enough.

I fixed supper tonight. It felt good to be in the kitchen. I miss cooking. Tammy usually has supper started when I get in from work. I had to tell her this weekend that I was gonna cook so that I could get in there before her. I saute'ed onions and red peppers in butter and then carmelized them in balsamic vinegar. Then I covered thick pork chops with that and sprinkled garlic over it all and baked. I fixed green beans and thin sliced potatoes in Italian salad dressing. I also (much to the delight of Kyle) fixed my garlic biscuits. I put the biscuits in a casserole dish and pour melted butter and garlic over it and bake them. It turned out good.

Tammy says I am the better cook. I says she is the better cook. The only arguing we do about cooking is about who GETS to cook, not who HAS to cook.

Well, family meeting time. Y'all have a good rest of the weekend.

Perpetuating the rumors

Last night, we went out to karaoke. Tammy's best friend (L) went with us. She was here when I got in from work and crashed here last night. Here is the fun rumor perpetuating part ...

It seems several of our friends have this strange idea that we are swingers.

While it is true that we are involved in a BDSM group in more than a casual way, we are not the typical persons ideal of a member of said groups. Most people, mistakenly, think that everyone in such groups are promiscuous. This is not the case. Most of my friends in the group are involved in monogamous relationships. While they do not share society's preprogrammed embarrassment about nudity, they do have some old fashion ideas when it comes to the sanctity of a relationship. We embrace the exhibitionist and voyeur in all of us. I accept that some of my friends operate in a different idea of what a marriage consists of or doesn't consist of.

Anyway, back the rumor perpetuation ... L was at the house and was trying on clothes with Tammy. I was in the bedroom on the floor playing solitaire on the computer in that room. At one point, I looked up, and there were two nearly naked to naked ladies in my field of vision. This didn't bother me, nor did it bother Tammy. She knows where my heart lives. Part of the clothes thing was to decide what L was going to be wearing when I took pictures of her the next day (today). When the clothes changing event was done, we prepared to go out.

we had a great time out singing. When we got to Todd's, we met several members of the BDSM group to which we belong. There was also friends of the LexChat group to which we belong. Also, there were friends from other places, and RUSS. At one point in the evening, a patron of the bar, upon hearing that the handcuffs on the mirror of the black truck were mine, and that Tammy was my wife, and that I was the guy on the floor around the two naked women, decided that he wanted to be me when he grew up. It was a great laugh.

We left Todd's around 11:30 and headed home. L slept in the waterbed with us. She was on the left, Tammy was in the middle, and I was on the right. All that occurred overnight was sleeping. (Cover your eyes, Russ) Now, in the morning, after L departed to 'give us time alone', sleeping did not occur.

The day progressed. I took Tammy and L out for breakfast/lunch at Cracker barrel. When we returned home, the photo shoot was on. I took over 60 shots of L. Most came out pretty good. At one point, I was 'fluffing up' L's boob to make it fill the top and overflow just a bit, when Sierra walked in. The look on her face was priceless.

Tammy took L home and while she was out, Chas and Chris came over with Ian. They were going to the movies and we were babysitting. Ian is becoming such a card. He walked everywhere. He giggled. He laughed. He cried. He ate sliders.

It is time to retire ...

Keep the rumors alive.

another friday has finally arrived

We are doing lock down drills today at school.

Level one .. we lock and close the classroom. We report any students not in class and note any students in our class that are not members.

Level two .. all of the above .. plus
Ignore fire alarms
Move students away from doors and windows
Stay out of line of sight of door and windows
Do not look out the window
Turn off lights and stay quiet
Make note of students not in assigned class
DO NOT open the door for anyone
Students outside of classrooms, report to restroom or teachers lounge
DO NOT let anyone leave the classroom
DO NOT call office for info
Stay in classroom until building is secure
If evacuation is necessary, one room will be released at a time

FUN FUN FUN

The mere fact that this is necessary is a sad commentary on our society.

Failing grade

The failing of the public education system.

In my humble (but sometimes noisy) opinion, one of the failings of the Public Education System in Kentucky, is the failure to equip our youth for life beyond High School. Each phase of our live is, in part, preparing us for the next. We learn to walk and talk, do the potty thing(some here at ATC are still working on their aim), and to work and play well with others. All of this prepares us for Elementary School. Elementary school prepares us for Middle School. Middle School prepares us for High School.

High School, ideally, prepares us for college or life beyond school. In many cases it works. In a growing number of cases, it does not work. I realize, at some point, a student must come to the realization of real life after school. This happens with the cooperation of schools and parents. I am a strong proponent of the 'learn to earn' ratio. Somewhere, students has to understand their "learn limit" is directly proportional to their "earn limit."

Teaching in a Vocational School is enlightening. For the most part we are shipped the students which do not excel in a regular classroom environment. It is as if we are the 'miracle' workers. We are called on to reach what the others cannot reach. We have to find the key to educating these students. We have to prepare them for "NEXT".

As I listen to my students, I can see that the majority of them are walking out of high school without a clue as to what real life is all about. I can see how my 27 years of actual construction experience is going to come in handy here.

I am preparing a small percent of the future. It can be an overwhelming task. One student at a time, that is the key.

Also ran ...

There were a couple other stanzas that didn't make it into the poem yesterday ..

Chella and I were talking a few day s ago. We touched on silence. She stated that silence was the scariest sound there was. It was interesting. Yesterday's poem was the result. The following were also the result. I have included the reason they didn't make it into the poem.


My heart beats like a hammer
against this wall of silence
obliviously pounding
without the benefit of knowing
what effect
on this fearsome sound

This one didn't make it in because it talked about silence as a wall, whereas the finished project was more centered on silence as a river. It just wouldn't fit.

AND.....

Silence crashes
like waves on my soul
wiping away
the edges of my facade
retreating in the undertow
ebbs of my strength
waving waving waves
carry away my life

Same reason as the last one kept this out. While it is talking about water, it is more centered on silence as an ocean. Again, I didn't feel it would fit.

Also, I want to add a comment by DaVinci here ... "No work of art is ever finished. It is only abandoned."

Just something I was working on

Without one word

Raging like a river
swelled from Spring rains
railing against the banks
filled with failure to contain

Your shouts of silence
forcing themselves
through my heart
this unvoiced anguish
drives through my veins

Just a word
to slow the swell
silence knows no compassion
and amplifies
my growing pains

My heart and soul
washed under in the dark
drowning in this vast expanse
the hardest sound of all
a lover's silent refrain

Ron Simpson, Jr.
April 12, 2005

Mid break ... and more

Lunch time ...

This morning there was a 'know how to get to your testing area' thing that took over 30 minutes. This meant that I didn't have student until after 8:30 as opposed to having them at 8:00. The school shortened 1st period, 2nd period, and 3rd block to accommodate the 30 minute exercise in futility. Now, at lunch, we are back on schedule.

I didn't have time this morning to say everything I wanted to say.

Today marks 18 months that Tammy and I have been married. It has been one wild roller coaster ride. The ups and downs have come through events and situations brought on by the kids. Tammy and I are rock solid. We were together for 18 months (thereabouts) before getting married. We kid ourselves about the way we kidded ourselves early on by saying we were taking our time. We weren't rushing this thing. We just weren't pulling the brakemen's handle very hard either.

We met in April '02. We met at several luncheons hosted by the chatroom that we both frequented. With the exception of giving her my brother-in-law's phone number for auto work, we never spoke online before meeting the first time in person. We were at the same lunches a few times before we ever really spoke then, other than the "hi's" and "byes" of hospitality. It wasn't that I ignored her, but I wasn't looking for anything in my life at the time we met. I never was much of a pursuer of those things anyway. I felt that if it happened, it happened. If it didn't happen, then it just didn't happen. I didn't press the issue. I had lots of friends and was having lots of fun enjoying their company and 'partying' with them.

So, we meet at these luncheons. It was the 3rd or 4th one (she can tell you exactly) before we ever spoke directly to each other with anything more than pleasantries. I was singing at the table to a friend. Tammy was at another table adjacent with her daughter Sierra. I stuck my tongue out at Pam (the friend to whom I was singing), and Tammy commented something I couldn't make out. She would not repeat it. She did later. "Nice tongue. Do you know how to use it?"

We talked online after that a couple times. We discovered our common love of writing and our common love of poetry. We got together one afternoon to share some poetry. It was the infamous 'Long John Silvers' meet. We talked for what seemed like hours and just minutes at the same time. It was time for her to begin her 'pick up the kids' thing, she we had to break off our conversation. I walked her to her truck. The connection between us was intense and our conversation just sealed it as eternal. We were going to be something, just what, was still indeterminable.

More to come .. Later .. As my time for lunch is coming to a close.

AND MORE ... (1:45 PM)

We went out a couple times more, but decided to keep it low key. We had seen how relationships in an open chatroom suffered. Making personal business everyone's business is never a good idea. Eventually we 'outed' ourselves. I never wanted to 'hide' our relationship, just protect it in it's early stages. I had no idea then that this was to be what it has become.

We dated for a while, as I said, telling ourselves that we were going at a nice slow pace. It was September 17th, when I told her for the first time that I loved her. I told her that I loved talking with her, I loved spending time with her, I loved hanging with her, so, I may as well admit it to myself. I loved her. She almost hit the floor. She already knew, but it was different to hear the words.

Class time ... Later

AND MORE ... (3:15 PM)

While I was working in Indiana, her landlords decided to tear down the house Tammy was renting. I told her to move into my place. I was only there on weekends. It just made sense. From there we lived together until a month or so before our wedding (interesting story).

18 months ago, we said the, "I do" thing in front of family and friends. It has been, as I said, a roller coaster ride. Each event, however, has pulled us closer together. A good friend once told me that trials can make you bitter or better. The choice is yours. Our trials have only strengthened our bond. She thinks I give the most in this thing. She thinks I have wings hidden somewhere. She doesn't know just how much I needed to be saved. She doesn't know how much I depend on her every day. She doesn't know how much it means to me to see her smile. With the blessing of God and the next 40 to 50 years, I hope to show her.

The Monday cometh

here is it ... Monday morning.

After a weekend of no blogging, I am sitting at my desk at school, wondering just where the weekend went. They seem so short, don't they ?

We went out Friday night to Todd's Karaoke. I finally had enough throat to sing a few. I did 3 songs. I started with one of the harder songs I sing. I figured if I were going to give the throat a go, I might as well stretch that go to the limits. I did "Keeper of the stars" It is a song that explores a wide vocal range. It forces me to use at least 3 octaves.

From there I went to "My heart is lost to you" by Brooks & Dunn. It is a great song. It has a Spanish flavor (if you are not familiar with it). After that, I tried a completely new (to me) one. We generally call that a Karaoke Suicide. The first time one tries a new song is rather nerve wracking, especially for a perfectionist like me. Tammy said I did great. She is biased, of course, but she is honest about music. She will tell, and has told, me when I sucked on a song.

Saturday was okay. We didn't go much of anywhere or do much of anything. We considered going out and singing, but that faded. It must be a swing. Sometimes, I cant get enough, and other times I couldn't care less.

Sunday was good. We (Tammy, Kyle, and myself) went to breakfast. I was planning on the haircut thing, but it didn't happen. I am sure it wasn't the breakfast, but my stomach was just a little off all weekend. It wasn't terribly upset, but it wasn't happy either. I wasn't tossing my cookies, but everything I ate or drank gave me the burps, the farts, or a light nausea. That kept me close to the house.

A few movies and some online time and the day was just about done. A semi restless night and here I am again to start all over.

we will see what the new week brings.

Finishing up the week at school

FRIDAY !!!

it is Friday. That is a cool thing.

The day was not too bad. It did have a few moments. The principal talked to the kids involved in the table sawing incident. I had to inform the rest of the classes, so as not to have a repeat in any of them. Most of these kids are good to OK kids.

I did tell one of my students, in construction worker fashion, that you cant bullshit a bullshitter. He was cutting a piece of conduit for his project. He cut it once. Then, without moving, cut it again. Then, again without moving, cut it a third time. He was just killing time and making noise like he was working. I flat told him. He was not fooling me, nor would he ever fool me. I have done all the tricks and been caught at them by another former bullshitter.

I have explained to them all, that the bottom line is the grade. When it is all said and done at the end of the day, have you drifted or have you contributed?

anyway, it is about time for me to go home and kiss my darling. So ............

POOF !!

Putting off the sex story ...

I was reading a great story in the news with a compelling reason to increase your frequency of sex. I was all ready to blog on it, when something else popped into my head. This something else seems like it is going to take precedence. Remind me later to tell you why you should increase your sexcapades. For now, however, here is the latest from the jumble in my brain:

Why is it that those with a crappy attitude feel compelled to share their attitude until everyone is on the same page?

There is a guy here at work that has a crappy attitude. He is a fellow teacher. He has been teaching here for about 8 years, as near as I can tell by his conversations. He has settled in to his 'devil may care' attitude. He figures that only 2 students per class will make anything of themselves. He tries repeatedly to convince me of the same. He tells me that I will only reach about 10% of my students, "If I am lucky." He assures me that I will lose my enthusiasm. He is positive that I will make my way to his level.

When 3:30 rolls around, he is ready to run out the door, but wants to make sure he takes everyone else with him so that he is not the only one leaving on time. He wants everyone to go with him. If you don't go with him, he goads or tries to browbeat you into feeling like you shouldn't give the state that extra 10 to 15 minutes. I do not give the state that time. That time, I am giving to my students.

He was telling Tammy that I would lose my energy eventually. I think Tammy would have decked him, but she was kind to him. She assured him that she was confident that I would have this energy for years to come. He is trying to bring everyone down to the level he is on, so that he doesn't appear to be so low.

I, for one, will not share his crappy attitude. I will be who I am until I am not. I will teach all my students with all I have.

Take my cheery attitude and choke on it , buster !!

YER FIRED !!!

I almost fired a few students today.

We were working on our conduit project. These three were mostly goofing off. About 30 minutes into their goofing off, two went to wash their hands. The sink is in the shop. Then, they walked out the door. I asked the remaining one of the band where they were off too. He said they were going to get something to drink. When they returned with their drinks, I asked them when the rules changed to where they could just walk out of class without asking. Each in turn told me they thought that the other had told me they were going. Then, they went to where they were working and sat down. I asked them what the deal was. They were taking break, they informed me.

BREAK ????

They had been in the shop 30 minutes and they needed a break ? I informed them that in the 'real world,' you took a 10 minute break after 2 hours of work.

Based on the horse play of earlier, the leaving the 'jobsite' and the early break, I would have fired them in the 'real world' or at least given them a written warning.

This set up the start of the rest of the classes. They all began with a "Here is what I expect out of you" lecture. I hate when I have to do that. However, the rest of the classes took it quite well and worked 'on task' and made great progress on their projects.

I had one later block, where I had no choice but to put 3 guys together on the project. The problem was that two of them would rather cut up and play instead of doing any actual work. One of the two will not listen when you explain things to him and looks dazed and confused when you correct him on the incorrect way he is going about it. The other just doesn't care because he already knows everything he needs to know. Poor guy number three was frustrated from yesterday and ready to quit. They tried 3 times to install the first piece of conduit from box 1 to box 2. It was just a simple 90° bend with a 1.5 inch kick out. Each time they messed up the conduit because they didn't listen when we went over how to do it.

Finally, student 3 asks, "Mr. Simpson, how do we do this? We haven't got anything done." I took him to my desk in the shop and showed him what to measure, first. Then, armed with measurements, I showed him how to bend what he needed to bend. Two bends and one cut later, the conduit was installed from box 1 to 2. From there it was a repeat in reverse to install conduit from box 2 to 3.

I sat him down and explained to him that the other two didn't care and if he was going to get this done, he was going to have to take charge. He was going to have to be the "lead man". He needed to lead the other two in this project. He took charge. He made a great showing for himself after a miserable start. I was proud of him and told him so.

There are two words I keep trying to get them to see. "Real world" Out there is the real world, where bad performances don't mean bad grades. They mean you do not eat. They mean your car is repo'ed. Of my 23 students, there are 5 that I would fire in the real world.

My job, however, is not to weed them. It is to teach them. I told them that they must learn how to do this. Once we know how, then we can work on speed, but first, they need to learn it.

I think I got through to a few of them.

That is a good day.

Clearing my good name

Kyle came to school with me today. It has been a good day. He does claim, in his blog, that I hit him in the head with a piece of pipe. First, it was a piece of conduit. Second, it didn't really hit him. It grazed him. Just kidding. He moved as I turned and his head and the conduit lightly connected.

I had a couple students that missed yesterday and missed the quiz. Kyle sat with them in the blocks they were in, and gave them the test after they finished the video. He decided that he was the official test giver.

He says he has had a good time. I will know more tomorrow after he has told Tammy about his day.

The auto shop is working on Tammy's Lincoln. They are redoing the front brakes. It needed pads and calipers, so it seems. The old calipers were frozen, hence, the bad brakes. Tammy drove it for the first time in several weeks, a few days ago, and immediately noticed the brake problem. Jordan has been driving it for the last few weeks and he wouldn't know if it disintegrated under him.

the day is coming to a school end.

Break over ... Break begins

Spring break is over in Clark County. Spring break begins in Fayette County.

I have students today for the first time in a week. It seemed like longer and they wished it were. We are easing slowly back into the school work schedule. We watched a DVD on wiring methods and took a quick quiz on it. I, also, explained their next project to them and laid it out for them in the shop. This project is going to be a departure for them. It involves metal boxes and conduit. They have bent conduit bends and worked a little on the various types of bends, but they haven't incorporated them into conduit runs.

This project will also involve pulling wire in the conduit, which will entail them figuring out how many of what kind of wires they need. Then they will install the devices and make it work.

I have changed the grading on their projects slightly. Now, 50% of the grade is that it works. If it doesn't work, they can lose 50%. However, I generally give the a chance to correct their mistakes and re-grade it (on the working part only). If they can make it work the second time, I will only take off 25% instead of 50%.

With the amount of information that they can request at no cost on their grade, and the tests we take on completed projects (the paper part of what they just did in the shop), one has to be trying real hard to flunk.

Spring break has just begun for my kids at home. One day this week, Kyle (9) is going to come to school with me and work with the kids on the new project. He is excited about that. I will fit him up with a tool belt and pouch, filled with the tools necessary for the job. He will assist a team in each class. It is gonna be fun for both of us, I think.

I will finish my lunch by checking out the World in the news. If something grinds my ass, I might be back.

New Words ...

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
Here are this year's winners:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

5. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

9. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido: All talk and no action.

14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.And the pick of the literature:

18. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

self explanitory

COPYCATS: "41% of Parents Skip Truancy Meeting" -- Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel headline

Comment not necessary .. it says it all ..

other news .. we were out last night for a class and a party .. we got home around 1 AM .. was a good night .. more to follow

Up .. For the third time

Man .. I have been up twice already.

I got up around 4:30 AM and checked my email. Then I was up at 8ish and had a bowl of cereal. Now, finally, at 11, I am up, I think.

We have a lot to do, so, I guess I am up for the day.

we went out last night to Todd's Karaoke for the first time in ever. Tammy sang like an angel, as usual. I do not sing, as my throat is still not fully recovered from the flu bout. I can sing about 3/4's of a song before it feels like there is a growth in my throat.

We are headed to the excitement of the grocery. Y'all have fun.