First and last

Today is the last day of the school week, but the first full day the students will have. All this week their morning has been altered. They have been in AA (homeroom) getting all the things kids need these days to be ready for the rest of the school year. The schedule has been erratic, and it is difficult to teach when they are not on a schedule. Some classes I have had for just 30 minutes while others I have had for 90 minutes. Today, we will catch all the classes up to the same page. They will get their syllabi and know the expectations. Kids learn better when they know what you expect of them.

Today is the last day to turn in their information packs for extra credit. All my kids started off with an "A". They all have 100's. The information pact is a packet of necessary information and forms that must be signed by parents. They get 10 points extra to apply to any test or project if it is signed and back by today. Nearly half have already returned then.

Then, it is, paper work finished, time to learn.

We will begin with safety.

On to the great unknown !

The first day passed without incident

The first day with students was yesterday.

In my first/second period I have about 10 new 'eager to learn electricity' faces. I have a girl in the class. She came in and noticed she was the only girl. "Am I the only girl," she asked. "you are ... for now," was my response. She settled in and didn't seem to be intimidated beyond that point. I am sure that will work to her advantage.

Third block is my old class. They are the returnees. They decided that I didn't do so bad last year and would come back for dose # 2.

Fourth block is another group of newbies.

There were a few things that had to be fixed. I had one newbie in the second year class and one oldie in the new class. I called the counselors and got that switched. Also, in my first class, which covers two 45-50 minute periods, I had 3 students that were only there for the second half. This is not good. They will be missing a good deal of the teaching and would spend the year trying to catch up. I called their counselors (after discussing that with the students in question) and got them switched to have my class for the full 90 or so minutes.

It went smoothly the first day. We will see how long that continues.

On the bad news front, we learned yesterday that our principal is leaving for another school. We will have an interim principal after the 19th of this month, continuing on until a replacement is hired. I will miss Joe. He has been a great help to me in my first year.

Memories

I was reading one of my regular blogs where the writer was talking about growing up near a farm and being friends with the family that owned/worked the farm. It brought back memories of my childhood.

I was fortunate to live on 2 farms for periods while I was growing up. The first was in the county where I am now teaching. I was 7 years old then. We lived there for a year. We had chickens and a horse. What more could a boy want?

The second was a farm where I lived from my high school sophomore year til I got married after a year of college. There we had cows and a horse. My father was an electrician that did some farming. We had a football field sized garden. It was 300 ft x 150 ft. I worked the garden, feed the cows, dug fence post holes, cleared tree lines, hauled hay, hauled water, and went to school.

I remember an incident in particular, a cow died in birthing. Her calf was a bull. We fed the calf with a bucket that had a nipple attached to the side at the bottom. I was trying to feed him one very hot summer day in the swelter of the barn. I decided to take him up the hill to the house. In the garage, it was cooler.

I put him across my shoulders and away I went. I trudged up the hill to the house. It was about 200 yards. I fed him and then tossed him over my shoulder and back to the barn we went. Half way, I felt something hot and wet running down my back. Without thinking (who does .. In a situation like that) I looked over and caught the smell of fresh bull urine. I gagged. I puked. There I was, in the middle of the field, holding down the calf, and not holding down anything else. I was 16 years old. To this day, strong odors can cause the gag reflex.

When Audrey (now 25) was a baby, I would change her diapers with a cloth diaper tied across my face like the old style bandits in old westerns. I can see that coming out in a therapy session some day.

I love that memory.

Not the end ...

This occured at the feeder school where I teach Electricity ...

Poole walks free after charge dropped

By TIM WELDON/Sun Staff Writer

Whether Winchester teenager William Poole wanted to orchestrate an armed takeover of George Rogers Clark High School, where he was enrolled as a junior, or whether his chilling writings were nothing more than a science fiction story as he claims, likely never will be resolved with a guilty or not guilty verdict in a court of law.

Tuesday, Clark County District Court Judge Brandy Oliver Brown dismissed a misdemeanor indictment that had charged Poole, 18, with criminal attempt to commit terroristic threatening. A short time later, Brown sustained a defense motion granting Poole shock probation after Poole served four months of a six-month sentence for contempt of court.

At 5:49 p.m. Tuesday, Poole walked out of the Clark County Detention Center, where he had been incarcerated since March.

Poole drew international attention following his arrest on felony terroristic threatening charges. Police and prosecutors allege Poole tried to solicit fellow students to join an organization that would take over an unnamed school. However, following his arrest, Poole claimed the writings were a fictional story about zombies taking over a school. His statements resulted in an outpouring of support for Poole from civil rights activists and on Internet blogs and message boards from people who accused authorities of being overzealous in enforcing the law.

Brown agreed with Poole's attorney, Brian Barker, who claimed the grand jury's indictment failed to state a criminal offense. Barker argued criminal attempt would require an overt act on Poole's part, something he says prosecutors failed to demonstrate.

Even Assistant County Attorney John Keeton was forced to concede the point. He told Brown there is no documented record of a conviction anywhere in Kentucky on a charge of attempt to commit terroristic threatening.

"Very simply put, the Commonwealth is unable to put forth statutory authority for prosecution of the offense," Keeton wrote. "It is not at all clear that the legislature contemplated such a crime as 'Attempted Terroristic Threatening,'" Keeton stated. "While the alleged conduct of Mr. Poole is very disturbing, it does no justice to our system, or to Mr. Poole, to try him on a charge that strains statutory interpretation."

Barker appeared to bristle at the notion that a legal technicality was responsible for the dismissal of the charges against Poole.

"I would say the grand jury carefully considered the matter. In the end, the grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to substantiate the claim. I submit that William was found to be not guilty based on the facts of the case," Barker stated.

However, Keeton retorted that since the case was never resolved through a trial, the question of whether Poole was found not guilty was never resolved.

Brown's dismissal of the criminal case against Poole opened the door to her granting Barker's motion for shock probation. Poole was found guilty of contempt in March when he violated the terms of his bond by going onto school property with a friend. Brown sentenced Poole to six months in jail.

Brown, who indicated that she seldom grants requests for shock probation, told Poole she was approving it in his case in order "to have something to hold over your head."

Had Poole served the remaining two months of his sentence for contempt, Brown would have been powerless to place any conditions upon his release. By granting his request for shock probation, Brown was able to set strict guidelines that Poole must follow for the next two years or risk being arrested for contempt and returning to jail.

Under the terms of his release, Brown is requiring that Poole reside with his grandparents, Kenneth and Joyce Craft, with whom he lived for approximately one year prior to his arrest. Brown instructed the Crafts to report any violations to police.

Poole is also required to take medication for an unspecified psychological disorder and follow recommendations made by mental health professionals. He is not allowed to be on any public or private school property, nor associate with any students. Brown also ordered Poole to follow his grandparents' house rules.

During the hearing, Poole's grandfather told Brown that prior to his arrest, Poole was an "angry young man" who didn't follow rules and didn't respect authority. "He needs psychological help," Craft said. "He needs to be evaluated."

Poole has received psychological evaluations. Before agreeing to release him from custody, Brown waited on a written statement from mental health professionals who concluded Poole does not require inpatient treatment for his psychological disorder, nor is he a danger to himself or others.

Brown implored Poole to take the terms of his probation seriously.
"A lot of people consider you to be dangerous. I'm praying you're not. I'm going to roll the dice," she said.

"Nobody's going to forget the nature of the charge," Brown added. "Nobody's going to say what you did was A-OK. It failed to meet legal standards. But it does not mean you should walk out and think you did nothing wrong. I don't want you to think it was bogus."

Detective Steve Caudill, who led the Winchester Police Department's investigation into the allegations, noted he has detected a change in Poole's personality since his arrest. "I'm optimistic," Caudill said when asked if he believed Poole can comply with the conditions placed on him and avoid returning to jail.

Brown dismissed the indictment against Poole without prejudice, meaning a future grand jury could, theoretically, reconsider Poole's case and return felony charges against him.

Barker indicated that Poole wants to complete his education. However, without being allowed on school property nor to associate with any students, it's unclear how that will be accomplished.
Brown delivered a final lecture to Poole. "If you haven't learned anything by going through this, you've lost a very valuable learning experience," she implored. "I'm hoping I won't see you again."

Poole replied, "You never will."

Then Poole was handcuffed for the one block walk between the Gov. James Clark Judicial Center and the jail. As he left the courtroom he smiled for a television camera trained on him and exclaimed, "I'm glad I get to go home."

School is starting soon

I will have students on Tuesday.

Hard to imagine, but I am more nervous this year than I was last year. Last year, I didn't have time to be nervous. I put 9 months instruction into 4.5 months. There was only time for teaching and no time for much else.

This year, however, I have 9 months to do what I need to do. I, also, have the classes I have taken over the summer to increase the pressure, because I know more of what is expected. The increases the pressure, and the respect I have for every teacher that had to put up with me.

The last class, which I reported about in the middle of, was the New Teacher Institute training. I had to teach in front of professional teachers and my peers. The professors that were instructing us were now grading us. I got 153 points out of a possible 168. That gave me a 91%. Then, we had a test on the classes we had attended. On that, I got an 86%. That gave me an 88.5% for the class. I passed. The state requires us to pass with at least 70%.

I have to take classes to get my Associates Degree in Education. I have 10 years to do so. I am required to take at least 6 hours per year, but am not limited to that much. I have heard it both ways from other teachers. Some say that 6 is plenty, others say that more is the answer. I will see.

It will be fun to take my new found knowledge into the classroom and see if I can use it to help the kids to learn.

For now ... Supper is here.

Classes

Greetings from the 6th floor of the Holiday Inn of Frankfort. I have had 8 two hour classes, each taught by an active proffesor in the field of the class he or she teaches. The classes are great. More to come ...

The weekend crawls to a close ...

The fury begins in the morning.

I have a week long, 3 college credit hour, class beginning tomorrow morning. The week will be filled with lessons, assignments, and activities. It is closer than the rest of my classes. It is in Frankfort, a mere 25 miles away. Originally I had thought to drive back and forth, but other teachers convinced me that staying near the place of the class was a better idea. Many things happen after class and staying at the Holiday Inn just in front of the class location makes it easier to join in.

So, Tammy, the kids, and I will be staying in Frankfort. Tammy will be coming to Lexington to run her errands. She is going to cook supper here and bring it to me a few of the nights.

The week following the class, I will have students.

The fun is here.

"Toomoome" update

Tammy claims that she was dreaming.

Earlier that day, while cleaning the pig sty (a completely different story) upstairs, she threw away a road construction sign that was there. She set it out on the curb with other junk to be taken by the trashmen.

She was dreaming that the wind was blowing and the sign (which was actually orange) was flapping in the wind. In her dream, she was trying to get someone to grab the sign before the wind caught it.

About that time, I asked her to move ... and the flashing yellow 'toomoome' sign was born.

This morning, we ran errands, trying to accomplish things before next weeks trip to Frankfort. Kyle and I planned and postponed a squirt gun fight. We missed a wedding, and visited a new born and family in the hospital. Congrats Karen and Mike. Kaden Michael is a doll.

Thief & Liar

A thief and liar came into my house, smiling as he passed.
He made small talk and showed his friendly ways.
He slipped into the fabric of the family.
He ate with us and laughed at our jokes.
He seemed to fit right in.
But, underneath his warm and friendly smile,
lay the heart of the thief.
The lie that lived within him tainted his every word.
It permeated his deeds.
He came to steal a precious jewel.

I wasn't there when the jewel of her virtue was born.
In time, it was entrusted into my care.
I guarded it jealously.
It was mine to shelter with might and knowledge.
When the jewel beckoned him, he did not turn as he should.
He courted the jewel in the shadows.
He did not bring his desire to the light, for he knew it was unjust.
Instead, he skulked in the hallways and side rooms.
He whispered his thievery in hushed tones, admitting his guilt.
He tried his desires and convicted them by his actions.

Once the theft was complete, and the virtue was taken,
he did not bring his treachery to the light.
He chose to perpetuate his guilt with yet another lie.
Every word he spoke without admitting the truth,
became a part of the preponderance of the lie.
The thief and liar called the same house 'home'.
His house was decorated with smiles and warmth.
Lies.

Now, exposed, he supposes that his deed is vanished.
He cannot ever replace the virtue that was lost.
He can never erase the betrayal of trust.
He can never change his smile from the place of a lie.

How can he atone ?
If he lives a lifetime and never lies again,
that lie still exists.
If he dies a withered old man,
his theft is still part of his house.
He says he is not sorry it happened.
If his conscience is clear,
there is nothing to prevent him from stealing and lying again.

He seeks to smooth the crime,
by saying he has decided not to commit it again.
What assurance is this ?
What prevents him from changing his mind ?
What stops him from lying or stealing again ?

Nothing.
Save my vigilance.

He will not smile in my house.
He will never know the feeling of comfort,
for I will ever be on my guard.
He has injured my spirit.
He has made me less trusting.
He has created this wound.
He has created this world.
God help him live in it.

Ron Simpson, Jr.
July 29, 2005

The big yellow "toomoome" sign

Last night we (Tammy, Pete Angie, and I) went to Todds.

I went to sing, Tammy went to sing and drink. Pete and Angie went because they haven't had but one date in 6 years (I think that is what she said).

The crowd was sparse. For a while there the only people singing were Tammy, Mike, Hamp (who was also DJ'ing) and me. It was ladies night. Drinks for the ladies were 2 for 1. Tammy had her usual, Jack and Coke. Now.. Some places we go fix a Jack and coke with about an even mix. Todds fixes theirs with a glass of Jack and a squirt of Coke. We got there about 8:30 and left at 10:45. In that time Tammy had 4 J&C's. She was feeling good when we left. She actually shared her last one with Pete and Angie bought him 2, of which he shared the last one with Tammy.

I sang and drank water and sang. I did: Help Me Understand, My Heart Is Lost To You, Right Where I Need To Be, Tin Man, Cold One Coming On, Seven Bridges Road, Whiskey Lullaby (Duet with Tammy), and How Do You Like Me Now. That was all in just over 2 hours. It was a great night of singing.

When we got home, Tammy, Pete, Angie, and the kids sat out on the porch and talked about old times. Tammy has known Pete since she was a teenager. She hasn't seen him for years. It turns out he lives about a block and a half from us on the same street. So they reminisced.

Eventually, all parties went home around midnight and Tammy staggered to bed. At some point in the night, I needed to change sleeping positions. I was on my left side and needed to change to my right. Tammy was snuggled up right next to me (which isn't unusual). I touched her and asked her to move over so I could roll over her direction. I was sorta pressed to the edge of the bed. Generally, when this happens, she moves, I roll, and she snuggles back against me in the new position. Well, last night, when I asked her to move, she told me to wait. "What for," I asked. Her reply was strange ...

She told me she couldn't move until she saw the big yellow toomoome sign. Mind you, this was slightly distorted from the fact that she was slightly waking up.

I waited ... Nothing

I asked again. She told me she had to wait for the big yellow toomoome sign. I told her I didn't know what she was talking about. She said, "Wait, you'll see it." So, there I was, looking around the room in the almost blackness, waiting for some flashing sign.

5 minutes ... Nothing

Once again I asked. More clearly than before, she said, "I can't move until the big yellow 'to move me' sign flashes." I was rolling. She had finally snapped. Her mind was gone..

Finally she moved her upper body over a bit. Her bottom half didn't move. I pushed. No movement. I poked. No movement.

I have to guess that she must have seen the big yellow sign, because she suddenly moved over and allowed me to roll over. She snuggled back against me and we both drifted off to sleep again, in spite of the big yellow sign flashing above the bed that said, "To Move Me".

I told her about it this morning when she woke up. She has no recollection or knowledge of such events. It is the Reagan Defense. "I have no recollection of those events."

Last slow week

Here it is Tuesday, in the midst of my slow week. I am out of the classroom, and have no classes scheduled this week. I have been slightly lazy. It has been 100° plus heat index this week so far, way too hot to be doing much of anything thatdoesn'tt involve AC.

Tomorrow night we are going to Todds with Tammys old friend and his GF to karaoke. It is ladies night, 2 for 1 drinks. Hedoesn'tt drink and neither do I, but the girls do.

Today is Justin's 14th birthday. Tammy fixed him a cake and had a card for him. He seemed to enjoy the foo-for-all.

Chris is staying with us tonight. It seems that Sierra and Jordan have dumped him. They were supposed to pick him up yesterday, but didn't show up then. They didn't show up today either.

Kids ?

Good weekend .. So far

Friday night was fun. We went to Todds to karaoke. We sang a couple songs and Tammy had a few drinks. I stuck with my usual water. Russ came into town. It was good to see him. I told the kids we would be back home early (before midnight). And we were.

Saturday was a busy day. We had a group picnic with some friends at Masterson Station Park. We rented a shelter in the back. When they said the shelter was in the back, they meant it was in the back. It was past the Lexington Lions Bluegrass Fair. It was past the Soccer Association field and tournament. It was past the riding stables. It was way back there in the back. It was a great shelter though. It was in the middle of trees. It was cool because of the abundance of shade.

The food was great. We brought burgers and dogs and NUKE dip. It was an adult only picnic. That was a good thing as well.

The eventual water gun/water balloon battle was much fun. There were wet bodies in every direction.

Saturday evening, Russ came over for supper. He is heading back to Owensboro today (Sunday). He has to be at work at 2 today to fix a server crash.

So far, today has been good. Lazy, but good. Haven't even managed to put on pants yet, lol.

We will see how far this can go ...

Oh yeah .. And ..

One of the best lines I heard on TV yesterday was during a news report on the second round of London bombings. I don't recall the station I was watching, nor the particular reporters talking, but the exchange went like this:

Reporter #1: "There is speculation that this might not be the work of terrorists, but of a copy cat, because of the smaller loads of the bombs."

Reporter #2: "I think if you are planting bombs on buses and trains, you are a terrorist, whether you are copying someone or not. "

Is that smoke ?

Hey there .. I am doing a little research about an idea I had this morning.

Hold on, I am reading. Uh huh .. Regulations .. Yeah .. Building .. Enclosed from the weather .. Yeah yeah .. Dwelling .. Sleeping .. Conducting business of daily living .. ok .. uh-huh ..

OK ! Here it is. Section 14-97 in the list of city ordinances for the city of Lexington, subpart 6, states:
(6) Smoke or smoking. The act of inhaling or exhaling the smoke from any lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe, or other combustible tobacco product.

There you have it.

According to our city ordinance, we are prohibited in certain areas (including bars) from inhaling or exhaling smoke from any lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, or other combustible tobacco product.

So, my question is: What if no one is smoking the cigarette ? What if it is just lit and burning down without aid of lips or suction ? According to the carefully worded part of 14-97, that cannot be considered smoking and therefore is outside the perimeter of the smoking ban.

So, all you smokers (I ain't one but would be willing to light one up and let it burn), light one up inside your favorite bar and let it burn down. Go outside as usual for your smoking (it is against the law) but feel free to burn all the cigarettes, cigars, and pipes as you like inside the bar, as long as you don't inhale or exhale from said smoking device.

They cannot charge or fine you, as you are not smoking per their own description of smoking. They cannot charge or fine the bar, as the establishment is not allowing smoking, per the definition of smoking in the smoking ban.

Viva le exact wording !!

Burn 'em if you got 'em !

Great day

Ever have one of those days ?

Ever wonder what the heck the person that asks such a question thinks one of those days consists of ?

Sit back for a minute while I finish my egg drop soup and Sesame Chicken (extra hot) and spin ya a tale of a few minutes that might live in infamy ( for a few days anyway). Russ, there is a Great Wall in Evansville, IN, just 25 miles away.

So, my day was going good. Tammy came to work with me. That always perks up the day. (keep thinking with the right head, Russ.) I was working on more Program Assessment work and Tammy was working on the novel, The Dollmaker. I parked out back this morning because Steve, the janitor/maintenance guy, was stripping the floors in the hallway and would be blocking the entrance to my room eventually.
Around 10, Joe, the Principal, came in with some work benches for me. We moved my truck on the hill out of the way. After unloading the tables and some bench vises, Joe left his truck behind my shop.

Lunch arrived. Tammy and I were going out for lunch to the Great Wall. Joe was still blocking the path behind me, so I decided to go across the grass field behind the building, inside the fence. About a third of the way across, I got this sinking feeling. Literally. I was stuck. The ground had been worked on and with the recent rains, it was still soft and wet. I called Steve and he and Joe came out to help me out. Joe tied his truck to mine, from a safe dry distance.
As I was getting into my truck to drive it backwards with Joe's assistance, I stretched out to avoid one of the softer spots. About the time my foot got in the truck, my other foot slipped. There was a tearing sound and the crotch of my jeans became ventilated. They were one of my two favorite pairs of jeans. Argh !!

Anyway, Joe pulled me out. I drove out the back way after Steve opened the gate and slung mud for the next 2 miles. We got take out instead of eat in.

Tammy says I won't live this down for a while.

Hey, what are life's little moments for if not to be used for the amusement of our friends.

Well, that is the end of my tale (not a sad one at all .. Humorous even) and the last piece of my chicken. Looks like I will be diving back into work stuff.

Have a great collection of life moments this afternoon and beyond.

I saw this on a website and I think it fits:
I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe

Repeating my mantra

"I love my job .. I love my job .. I love my job .. I love.." Wait a minute, I DO love my job. I love teaching.

I am steeped in paperwork. This is not my favorite thing. It might not be as bad as it is if I completely understood what I was doing. This is unfamiliar territory for me. I am not used to be lost. I am used to knowing what I am doing, knowing what is expected, and accomplishing my goal using that knowledge. This paperwork (which I readily agree needs to be done) is far reaching. It is part of my Program Assessment. It is how the state will determine I am doing my job.

I have been working through other areas of information I was still vague in as well. I found out what the educational expectations were for me this year, the 'official' year of my internship. I have to take a week long class (for which I am scheduled August 1) and a 2 day follow up of that class later in the year. That is it for year one.

I will also be taking a code update class in the evening in August (24 &25) for my 6 hours of State required Continuing Education to maintain my Master Electricians License.

The OSHA class I took (15 hours), the Students with disabilities training I took (6 hours), and the Program Assessment class, all in June (6 hours) all went to last years Professional Update requirements by the State (25 hours per year). The class I just took in Murray accounts for this years PD (40 hours worth).

I, also, found out today, the 2 classes I need to take to complete my Associates Degree in Applied Technology. They are offered in Louisville, beginning August 23rd. They will last for 12 weeks and include 48 hours.

Looks like a busy few months to begin the school year.

"I love my job .. I love my job .. I love my job."

Back in class

I am at the school this week doing my Program Assessment Work. It is a 21 part documented assessment of my classwork and lab work. It is all part of the state's effort to make teachers accountable for teaching. Kentucky has consistently ranked low in the United States in education. A GED (based on a national test) is considered better than a high school diploma from Kentucky. That is just sad.

Recently, in the 'smartest state award for 2004', we ranked 37th.
METHODOLOGY--This second Smartest State designation is awarded based on 21 factors chosen from Morgan Quitno’s annual reference book, Education State Rankings, 2004-2005. To calculate the Smartest State rankings, the 21 factors were divided into two groups: those that are “negative” for which a high ranking would be considered bad for a state, and those that are “positive” for which a high ranking would be considered good. Rates for each of the 21 factors were processed through a formula that measures how a state compares to the national average for a given category. The positive and negative nature of each factor was taken into account as part of the formula. Once these computations were made, the factors then were assigned equal weights. These weighted scores then were added together to determine a state’s final score (“Smart Rating” ) This way, states are assessed based on how they stack up against the national average. The end result is that the farther below the national average a state’s education ranking is, the lower (and less smart) it ranks. The farther above the national average, the higher (and smarter) a state ranks.

The 21 factors:

POSITIVES
Public Elementary and Secondary School Revenue per $1,000 Personal Income
Per Pupil Public Elementary and Secondary School Current Expenditures
Percent of Public Elementary and Secondary School Current Expenditures used for Instruction
Percent of Population Graduated from High School
Public High School Graduation Rate
Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Reading

Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Reading
Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Writing
Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Writing
Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Mathematics
Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Mathematics

Percent of 4th Graders Whose Parents Have Strict Rules about Getting Homework Done
Average Teacher Salary as a Percent of Average Annual Pay of All Workers
Percent of School-Age Population in Public Schools

NEGATIVES
High School Drop Out Rate
Percent of Public School Teachers Who Reported Being Physically Attacked in the Past 12 Months
Special Education Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Percent of Public Elementary and Secondary School Staff Who are School District Administrators
Estimated Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
Average Class Size in Public Elementary Schools
Average Class Size in Public Secondary Schools

Some teacher see this 'accountability' as an insult, but, I see it as it is. We are a lackluster state in education because of lackluster teaching or lackluster effort among teachers. If this works, more power to it. If it weeds out some bad apples, great !

Anyway, it is great to be back in MY classroom.

Long week into the past

It felt like a step back into the past last week with the trip to Murray, KY. It was technologically as advanced as Lexington. There were fast food and slow food places. There was a dreaded Wal-Mart. There were cars and bars. (There was only one place to karaoke !!)

What made it feel like a step into the past was the density. There was traffic, but not the continual stream and volume of Lexington. There were choices, but not the sheer volume of choices at home. There were strip shops and car dealers. There was a fair amount of gas stations. It just wasn't as rushed as home.

It is the eternal paradox. We want the ease of finding what we want, but we want the lay back air of a small town. We can't have both. At first, when you enter a small town 'blast from the past', you fall in lust with the simplicity. The longer you stay, however, you begin to miss the choices, the ease of the big town.

It was great to be there. It was great to come home to the hustle, bustle, bad traffic, crowded stores, and close choices.

A friend said a little rhyme once. I (obviously) remember it to this day.

As a rule, man is a fool
When it is hot, he wants it cool
When it is cool, he wants it hot
Man generally wants, whatever it is not

Home, sweet home !

Finally Friday

The classes are finished. The competition is this morning. We will hold a parliamentary meeting. We will be judged on our procedure and finesse'.

Then the 5 hour drive.

See y'all soon

Computer access achieved

Waahooooooo .. I got computer access. Danger Will Robinson, danger.

Lost

Day one ... I am lost like a short dog in tall weeds. This class is a Skills/USA advisor training class. This. in and of itself, implies that the participants are involved in the club. I have never been to any club event or meeting. I have much catching up to do. ... On to homework and day two.

Checked in and sitting on the floor .. Four hours driving and we only got turned around once. The drive was great. Kentucky is a beautiful state. We should be getting the torrential rains from Dennis by Wednesday. We are expecting up to twelve inches. We may be swimming home. .... More later.

ebay

I love ebay. I hate ebay.

I got a vhs camcorder for $9.99. The shipping was just over $15, so total was a little over $25. Great deal. It works. It came with a manual and case. It came with a battery charger, but (ack!) no battery. The ad (which I double checked) didn't say it came with a battery, but it didn't say it didn't come with a battery.

Oh, well. I ordered a couple batteries for it from an online discount house.

It just seems that some things should be assume-able. I guess nothing should be taken for granted.

Murray State University looms !

The insanity defense

The insanity defense is for the benefit of the sane.

We look at people who have committed horrendous crimes and the only way we can attempt to understand it is to declare that they are insane. We cannot allow ourselves to think that a rational person would do these heinous acts.

We cannot allow ourselves to believe that a mother would kill her children. We cannot allow ourselves to believe that anyone would blow up a building in Oklahoma and kill 168 people and hurt many others. We cannot allow ourselves to believe that we are raising children that are capable of taking guns to school and shooting students and teachers.

The crux of the insanity plea seems to be the inability to distinguish between right and wrong or the application of that difference to garner reward or punishment. There are genuinely insane people out there that know there is a difference between right and wrong but lack the will to do anything about that.

There are people out there that are just mean and don't care about the difference between right and wrong. We just can't accept that some sane people can be so mean. It would mean that it is possible for us, or others around us to commit those same acts. Every time they interview the neighbor of a serial killer, they find that one that will tell you that they were a quiet normal person. They never suspected that their neighbor was eating some guy's liver with Farva beans.

The ability to commit mean or heinous acts is within us all. We choose to do the sane thing.

I do not abdicate the eradication of the insanity defense. I just think it is widely overused.

OR .. I could just be crazy !

Better pic ... Lens cleaned

A blog on the go

Interesting !

I just set up a mobile blog and then had it set up to transfer my mobile blogging to this one.

Next week I will be at Murray State University for a class. I may or may not have access to computers and time to blog may be at a premium. Now, I can blog without a computer. Ain't technology grand ?

The post with the pic was from my phone. Looks like I need to clean my lens.

rebellious teens and Martha

Martha has made the news again by claiming that her house arrest is worse than prison.

PLEASE !

You know, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. She had a cake walk. She messed up and has to pay for it. Wah wah !

All my life I have tried to do the right thing. Tammy and I were at mom and dads tonight for a bit. We were talking about kids and rebellion. Some parents allow their kids to do so much for so long that when they decide to 'crack the whip,' it doesn't work. Dad said they never had that problem. They cracked the whip from day one. I remember being a kids. There were lots of things we didn't do that other kids did. There were places we didn't go that other kids went. We turned out just fine. I can't ever remember feeling like I missed things. I don't think I was underprivileged at all.

If Martha thinks house arrest is worse than prison, we could always send her back.

She is like a teenager that got caught out after curfew and got a slap on the wrist. Now she is crying about how unfair it is, because she always got away with it before.

Enneagram Test .. for what it is worth

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism 38% Type 2 Helpfulness 61% Type 3 Image Focus 63% Type 4 Hypersensitivity 27% Type 5 Detachment 33% Type 6 Anxiety 37% Type 7 Adventurousness 46% Type 8 Aggressiveness 54% Type 9 Calmness 74% Your main type is 9 Your variant is sexual

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Almost time for my favorite holiday

My favorite holiday is almost here. Independence day is my fave.

I don't care much for Christmas. I feel that we should exhibit the true meaning of Christmas all year long and not only in that highly commercialized time of the year.

Valentines Day is nice. It is good to remember your honey on a special day, but if you don't make her special all year long, one day isn't going to save you.

Thanksgiving Day is cool. I like the idea of being thankful. I like the idea of giving thanks. However, again, I think it is something that we should be doing daily.

Mothers Day and Fathers Day are good. It is always good to remember those that had the greatest impact on your life. I had great parents. That is a rarity now days it seems. Actually, let me retract that. It isn't a rarity to have great parents. I think there are great parents everywhere you turn. It is just the the media focuses on the worst examples of parenting. While we are all watching the news about parents abusing and even killing their children, there are good men and women quietly raising kids all across the country.

Memorial Day is fabulous. It is a good thing to recognize the men and women that have given so much so we could have so much.

Labor Day is great. What can I say, I am a labor kinda guy.

Halloween is just fun. Nothing else to say about that.

Independence Day !

The word itself is a celebration for the tongue to say. We so often take our independence for granted. I have never had my liberties taken. I have never suffered the agonies of tyranny. I was born free. I have lived free. I will, God willing, die free. All the parades in all the cities will not adequately express the joy for independence. It is unfathomable.

We have liberty. We raise hell about our government. We lambash our politicians. However, let another country talk bad about America and watch every true American raise up to her defense. She is filled with mistakes. She is rife with problems. She has her share of issues. She is my country. She isn't always right. She isn't always what I want her to be. She is still my independent country. She is the best that the world has to offer.

She is majestic. She is beautiful. She is regal.

Militants can burn all the flags they want and they still have not singed the garment of independence. You can spit on and curse our symbols and still, we are free. Tomorrow, we, as a nation, some with pride, some in drunken revelry, some in ignorance, will celebrate our independence.

We will commemorate the spirit of the men the drafted and signed that declaration of independence. With one document, forged from the opinions of many, we declared that we will live free. We declared that we will not be ruled in tyranny. We declared that we will be sovereign. Tomorrow we celebrate and reaffirm that commitment.

For all our faults and failures, we are still INDEPENDENT.

It's back .. and .. Out Assed

The Kyle has returned.

Here is a 9 year old that convinced his dad to drive him to Kentucky from Florida two weeks early of his scheduled return date. He guilted him into bringing him home early. I told Tammy, that if I were him, I would have put my foot down and told him that he was scheduled to stay until July 16 and he was staying until then. Tammy says her EX won't do that, as he is afraid that the kids will not love him. I see that in lots of parents.

I was asked on a particular job once, to be a foreman. I was to supervise 10 men and handle several large projects within the paint building at Toyota in Georgetown KY. I accepted the job and they hired a crew to work for me. The guys in my crew were all travelers (union electricians working out of their jurisdiction). Two weeks after we started, I approached my Area General Foreman with a list of my men. He asked me what it was. I told him it was a list of my men and the order in which they were to be layed off. He was shocked. He said he couldn't get the other foreman (there were 9) to do that. I told him that when I accepted the job as foreman, I knew that laying off the men when we got close to the end was part of the job. When I accepted the foreman position, I accepted everything that came with it.

When I became a parent, everything that came with it became part of my job. Part of that was telling the kids "NO." Part of that was accepting that there will be times in their life when my kids are not going to like me very much. I have to trust that my parenting will be such that the love they have for me will carry through the times that they don't like me. It is part of the whole parent package.

OUT ASSED

I remember once that my youngest, Heather, didn't want to go with me one weekend that was my weekend. Usually, I had been watching them at their mom's house in Nicholasville where they lived. She would spend the weekend with her fiance'. That way the kids were close to their friends and in their own surroundings. This particular weekend that was not going to happen. H pitched a fit. She did not want to be in Lexington. She decided that she was going to have a miserable weekend and she was going to be as much of an ass as she could be. I decided that I was going to show her that I could out ass her any day. I put her in the car with me and she traveled with me as I did the things I had to do on that Friday night. Normally, I would have left her at the house for the hour I needed, but not this weekend. It was the big ass contest weekend. I had to stop by one of the regular karaoke spots I attended to pick up clothes for victims of a house fire (see .. Even asses can be humanitarians). We were going to get something to eat. I told her to pick a restaurant. She didn't like anything. I drove up the restaurant corridor on Nicholasville Rd in Lexington. She didn't see anything she wanted. I gave her one last chance. I told her to pick a place or I would. She refused. I picked Arby's. It was right beside the place I needed to be. She decided that she wasn't going to eat.

I made her go in with me. She got out and slammed the door. I made her open it again and close it correctly. She went inside but refused to order. I ordered for me and we sat down and I ate. When I finished, we went to the FRAME to get the clothes. She sat outside the door (it was inside the bowling alley) and waited. She fumed.

When I was don't there we left. I explained to H that the condition of the weekend was up to her. She could make it as miserable as she liked or as good as she liked. It was up to her. She decided that she would make the best of it. I rented a couple movies (we were originally gonna see a movie at the theater). I got her something to eat on the way home. The rest of the weekend was great.

Sometimes you have to do the things that are not popular to be the parent. It is just part of the job. No wonder so many kids are not equipped to be parents. They have had no good example.

If saying NO is providing a good example, my kids had many good examples.

Actually, my daughters are very well adjusted loving kids. H, who lives with her mom, is spoiled, but that is out of my hands. I still tell her NO. I still parent her. It is just part of the job.

Normal ?

Life is slowly returning to what we recognize as normal. The kids and the dogs are driving us crazy. Malcolm has decide to have diarrhea. YUCK ! The kids, well, the ones that are here, are back to their annoying ways. Tammy and I have decided to be ill as well. There must be some stomach thing going around.

I was in class yesterday in London KY. It was a paperwork class to teach me how to do the assessment paperwork for the state so they can adequately assess whether I am doing my job or not. We, collectively, went over several of the sections, and then broke off into smaller groups to address the rest of the sections in 'the box'. There are 21 different sections that have to be addressed. We handled 5 of those in the whole group setting. We were moving along smoothly through most of the sections.

Then, we got to the section concerning Work Based Learning. There was one guy, a principal named Barney, that got all tore up about it. It seems that while he was teaching auto mechanics, he co-op'ed a couple of students, juniors, out to a diesel mechanics business during the summer. This mechanic convinced the kids to quit school and keep their jobs with him (or at least how he saw it or tells it). Now, he is completely soured on the co-op experience. This section is part of the assessment of your program. Without it, the assessment suffers as a whole.

This year, they changed this section to include the words, 'School Based Business'. He was all about that. He likes the idea about basing a business in the school when he can supervise. He likes that he doesn't have to trust his students in the hands of other business owners. The idea, in and of itself, is a good one, but there was a section that said there must be someone else, besides the teacher, assessing the students work and work ethic. This is where the discussion/argument began. For 20 minutes, Barney argued with the guy training us (who had nothing to do with writing the assessment) about this. Finally, at the end of the 20 minutes, the trainer told Barney he would look into it further, so we could go on and finish this class and GO HOME.

About his time, the branch manager, who was teaching one of the other smaller groups, and who was finished, and who had already sent her students home, joined our class (the last remaining class). Barney decided that he needed to rehash the issue with here and spent the next 10 to 15 minutes laying out the same old argument that he did with the first trainer. At the end, nothing was accomplished. Nothing was solved. The issue remained the same. We just wasted 30 plus minutes on something that was a personal issue with only one of the participants. Education and educators are just a wonderful bunch. However, when you get a group of people together that talk for a living, DO NOT think it is going to be a short meeting.

Anyway, it was still a nice drive. Tammy went with me. She found a big yard sale while I was in class. We enjoyed each others company both directions. I love being with her. My EX told her recently that she was good for me. I have to agree.

Day trip

We are off to London, KY, for a day class in KY's program assessment system. It is a class to learn how to do paperwork. Wahooooooo !!

Will be around this evening to recap.

Have a good day.

Dragging

Tammy and I are dragging. The events of the week are finally catching us, I think. It has been a surreal week, for sure. The passing of Lil' G has filled the whole week. It was inescapable.

Tonight, we went to a dinner with an internet group of which I am a board member. We were introducing two new board members and I felt I should be there. We stayed long enough to welcome the new additions and for the introductions to the rest of the group. Then, we bolted.

We are home now and the weight is still bearing down. Each step feels like I am dragging a ball and chain.

It is time to rest.

I will be back to myself soon.

Thanks

Thanks to those that helped during this trying time.

Thanks to the 30 or so that came to the grave side services.

Thanks to Rev. Baker for a good service.

Thanks to Kerr Brothers for donating their services.

Thanks to all the well wishes in email.

Thanks to my friends that were there to hold a hand or whatever else needed to be done.

Thanks to those that just listened.

Thanks to those that supported us from our online family.

Thanks to Angie and Carol for the flowers.

Thanks for those that brought precious gifts to hold the memory.

Thanks for prayers and positive thoughts.

Thanks to those, even tho you felt you didn't do anything, that were just there.

Thanks.

I'll be back 

He is still here

He is still here.

He had powerfully defined features and a strong heart.
He tried so hard to stay
Children, for all their worry and work, are a gift from God.
What else could you call someone
who fills your heart with such great joy?
How else can you define someone
who lifts your day with just a movement?
This gift is for a lifetime.
It lasts as long as it lasts.

"What is your life?
It is even vapor,
that appears for a little time,
and then vanishes away."

We have this gift for as long as we can hold it.
Then it drifts away.

Do not presume to tell me I don't know what I am talking about.
I have walked in those shoes.
I have stood under that cloud.
Look at me.
I am still here.

He is still here.

David Gabriel McArter

Comforted in Heaven

Loved on Earth

Tragedy

Last night, on my way home, I stopped to meet with my middle daughter. Her birthday is coming up, and she wanted, as a birthday present, a tankful of gas. While talking with her after filling her tank and giving her money to fill her hubby's tank, her cell phone rang. It was Tammy trying to reach me. Jordan called her and told her that Sierra was leaking water. Tammy told him to take her directly to the hospital. She was going to meet him there. Tammy was in Nicholasville.

I went on home and when I arrived, there were 6 paramedics, an ambulance, and a firetruck at my house. They were looking for Sierra. While Jordan was at the pay phone, Sierra decided to come downstairs to wait on the porch. She began bleeding. Chris broke my door and got our phone. He called 911. They went to the wrong address. They went to my old address. By the time they arrived, Jordan was en route in his car with Sierra. I told them that he had taken her to the hospital himself.

Sierra's water broke. It doesn't happen commonly, but it does happen. At the hospital, after Tammy's insistence, they did a pelvic exam. She was not dilated. They admitted her for 24 to 48 hours to see if the sack would heal itself and if the pregnancy could be saved. They gave the baby a 10 to 20% chance for survival.

Last night, she and the baby were better. The doctor said the baby was strong. He was a fighter. This was good news.

This morning, based on this good news, Tammy came to work with me. A little before 9, Jordan called from the hospital. They had no heartbeat for the baby. We left work and headed to the hospital. They wanted Sierra to deliver the baby, to avoid any surgery. I called the kids to let them know what was going on. I called dad to have him and mom pray for Tammy and Sierra.

I dropped Tammy off at the hospital. I cant do the long waiting in the waiting room. My back is in a real bad mood today to begin with.

When I got back, Tammy called. Sierra wants a service for David Gabriel McArter. I am calling funeral homes and cemeteries. Sierra is having contractions. She isn't in pain. Well, she isn't in physical pain.

It is not a good day.

More to follow .....

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

There are infinitely important parts of my everyday.

The past is one of those parts, but it is only one part. It does not have an overwhelming role except where it is the path that brought me unto today. It is the place where the footsteps have already been lain. It is the place I cannot change. It is where many of the answers to questions about who I am are answered. The past stopped only a second ago. I cannot dwell extensively on the past. I can, if I choose, learn from it's lessons. I can heed the warnings and advice of the past I have wrought. I cannot reach through the wall of time and change any of my actions or words.

Then there is the future. It is ahead in the mist. It is ever changing. It stretches out in endless possible directions. It in the Yin to the Yang of the past. As stable as the past is, the future is as unsure. Every want or desire finds a path to travel in the future. Every fantasy finds a way to be fulfilled in the tomorrows. Life is filled with exceedingly great and infinite opportunities that frolic in the future.

That leaves me with today. Right now is all I have to work with. I can build on the past and plan for the future, but 'now' is what I have to work with. Today is a turning point. Today is a decision. I can walk in the path I have been traveling, or I can turn in a new direction. Today, I can reinvent myself. I can be brand new.

I am who I am. I have what I have. The changes in what I do not like about myself, can begin 'now'. The weights that I allow to drag me down, I can release 'now'.

One more step, and this 'now' becomes the past. The shimmering sparkling future becomes the 'now'.

Take the strengths of yesterday, the hopes of the future, and the sweat of now, and build the life you want.

4 day weekend ends (insert sad face)

My four day weekend ended this morning when the alarm went off to get me up for work. It was a good weekend.

We went karaoke'ing on Thursday night. Tammy entered the popularity/karaoke contest. She didn't place in the top 5, even though she was one of the top five singers. Several people there got ticked at me because I didn't enter the contest. I explained to them that I sing for fun. I sing because I love to sing. I didn't sing in the contest because it changes all that. When you sing in the contest, you are competing with other singers. You are trying to outdo them. You lose the fun part. Then, after the contest and before the winner is announced, you try to figure out who might have voted for you and who didn't. Afterwards, you try to figure out which of your friends didn't vote for you. It just ain't worth all that. I sang before the contest. I sang after the contest. I didn't worry about who else was singing. I didn't worry about whether my singing was going to be validated by the masses or not.

Friday and Saturday, we ran errands. We stayed in during the evening. We opted for movies, cuddled on the couch, over going out to a loud bar, go figure.

Saturday morning, we went to see the new Batman movie, Batman Begins. It was awesome. It was, by far, my favorite of the Batman movies. It was dark and nearly humorless. Batman is, and always has been, a dark hero. That darkness is an integral part of his character. The earlier Batman movies tried too hard to lighten the character to make him appeal to all audiences. That was a mistake, in my opinion. This Batman, played by Christian Bale, was dark. Bale plays the part with lots of intensity. If you haven't seen his work, look for the movie, Equilibrium. It is a futuristic movie about an emotionless world. We rented it once because there was nothing else in the was 'good'. I had seen the previews and thought it might be a good filler movie. It surprised me.

Saturday night, Russ and Ginger came by for a while. It is always good to see the Russ-miester.

Sunday was a slow day. Tammy woke up not feeling well. We didn't do much. She wanted to fix me breakfast in bed, being as it was Father's Day. I messed that up when I got up 2 hours before her. So, she fixed breakfast for supper. It was great: Scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa. Sausage gravy and biscuit. Bacon. Mmmmmm mmmmmm.

I was reading the news this morning to see what kind of foolishness existed in the world to be raved about. Nothing is more fun to rail on than the stupidity of mankind. Never underestimate the propensity of humanity to sink to the next level of absurdity.

There wasn't much going on. I did see where Tiger Woods got second place in the US Open. I saw where the winner got $1.17 million. I was curious as to how much Tiger's take was for second place. He got $700,000. The entire leader board was available, so I checked it out. I got all the way down to the 9 way tie for 33rd place before I found numbers with relevance. The 9 guys that tied for 33rd place in the US Open made just a little bit more than I will make for this entire year. These guys were 12 shots away from par. As I understand it, par is what a good golfer should be able to shoot the hole. It is the score standard. These 9 guys were 12 shots away from that and they still made more in this one tourney than I will make all year. Sigh.

So, how was your weekend ?

No rest for anyone

Today .. Jeb Bush has called for a probe into the 15 yr old investigation of the collapse and 911 call concerning Terri Schiavo.

GIVE IT REST !!

I am just wondering how many more political causes will weigh in to try to squeeze a few more miles out of this poor dead woman.

It seems that in two interviews, one in 1990 and one in the early 2000's, Michael Schiavo gave two different times as to when he found his wife, collapsed. In one he says 5 am. In another he says 4:30 am. This 911 call came in at 5:40 am.

The incident has been investigated to death. He was cleared of any wrongdoing. If he were tried, and not convicted, he would be under the double jeopardy clause. However, he was not charged, because there was nothing for which to charge him. So, he can be re-investigated as often as anyone with enough political clout decides to call for it. That is just horse-hockey.

Even now, the family is considering legal actions against him. The autopsy report has come back. She was in a persistent vegetative state. The vision centers of her brain were destroyed. She was blind. So much for the families claims that she recognized them when they came into the room. They saw what they wanted to see. They believed what they wanted to believe. Now, even in the face of overwhelming medical evidence, they still refuse to accept the truth.

I pity them.

Let her go in peace.

The American Justice System

This is how it works in a nutshell.

We, the people, pay the police to investigate, determine responsibility, and establish a reasonable measure of guilt in the committal of a crime or criminal act.

Then, we pay the District Attorney and/or his/her representatives to prove that guilt to a sequestered group of individuals within the society in which the crime occurs.

The accused acquires freely or hires representatives knowledgeable of the law to represent his/her side and to create a reason of doubting the work and actions of the representatives of the people.

Only one side can win unequivocally.

That is the way the system works. It is a system of checks and balances. It is a system where both sides are governed by the same set of rules. It is the fairest system around. It does not always convict the guilty. It errs on the side of caution. It stands on the most whimsical foundation - the human mind. It depends on the ability of 12 men and women to weigh evidence and motive in a fair balance. It relies on the human ability to judge fairly whether a burden of proof has or has not been met.

Yes, there are those that flaunt the system. There are those that exploit it's inherent weaknesses. There will always be those that use every legal loophole to further their criminal acts and laugh at the notion of justice. There will ever be those that 'get away with it'.

After hearing the sweeping 'not guilty' verdicts for Michael Jackson, my daughter calmly said, "Oh well, he will burn in Hell."

He and his pricey lawyers thwarted justice. They escaped the arm of the law. One juror stated that it was established that MJ had a history of inappropriate actions with boys, but not with the accuser. They were also swayed by the fact that the boy went to see lawyers before going to deputies. Legal experts will analyze this one for years.

There is a portion of scripture in the book of Psalms. It is written by Asaph. In the portion of his writing, he laments that the wicked prosper. He decries that there seem to be no bonds on them. He sees that they are fat and want of nothing. He goes as far as to say that the knowing of this nearly causes his feet to slip from the path that he travels, but only nearly. He finishes the writing with a stunning rebound. He says that this bothered him, until he went to the House of God, and there, he saw their end.

One day, laughing will cease. Celebrating the washing aside of justice will end. Wickedness will receive it's just recompense of reward.

One day, there will not be a lawyer or a loophole between any one of us and the Judge.

This knowledge helps keep my feet on the path. This knowing makes it easier to do the things that are right.

With that being said, it is another day of right in a world of wrong. It is one more day of white in a world going gray. Fight the good fight.

Reaching Overwhelming And Dangerous Range Anger Generating Emotions

Precursor to Road Rage ?

You hear the horror stories about road rage. Someone, for some unknown reason, snaps and starts offing drivers on the highway. We all shake our heads in collective disbelief and wonder what could push a person so far. We conclude that there must be something mentally wrong with the person consumed with the rage. It can't happen to normal folks. It cant happen to us. More importantly, it can't happen to those driving around us.

So, I was driving to work this morning along one of the three routes that I can take to work.

One is the highway. It is a little longer. It takes about as much time, but uses a little more gas because of the excessive speed required. There isn't lots of traffic out at the time I go to work, so it isn't an unpleasant drive.

Another is Todd's Road. It is a two lane filled with curves and turns. It is quicker from Winchester to Lexington, but loses it time advantage once I arrive inside the Lexington circle. Once there, I have to deal with a myriad of lights, stop signs, turns, and traffic. It is a nice scenic drive and not really all that bad if you are not in much of a hurry. I rarely am in a big hurry.

Then there is old Winchester Rd. It is a pretty straight shot to Winchester. It has less turns and curves than Todd's but more traffic. Some days it is a quick little zip to work. Other days, it is a slower crawl. Either way, it is not unexpected, therefore it doesn't bother me much.

However, there are some days it is a good thing I have a pretty even disposition and no firearms in the truck. Today was one of those mornings. I have to question the driving skills of someone sitting at light of a cross street, who, upon seeing a black Bravada (SUV) approaching the light at about 60 mph, decides at the last minute that he can enter the flow of traffic. At 7:20 this morning, at the Man-O-War interchange, this late model, black, Nissan Frontier XE, pickup truck with a small topper, license number 9205-LA, with a broken brake light on the drivers side, decided just that. While I didn't have to lock up the brakes or anything so drastic, I did have to tap them pretty hard and come down to 20 mph quickly.

There must be a point, just before the road rage takes over, that you have hold of your senses, that the decision to go for the horn or the Uzi is reached. I call this ORTODI (Overwhelming Response To Other Driving Idiots). That was the point I reached this morning. There was traffic in front of him that would have slowed me down eventually. There were 2 or 3 cars behind me that he would have had to wait on, had he chose to use his brains at all this morning.

If you, a reader of my blog, know this individual, tell him to consider himself fortunate this morning. I do not own a firearm. I am not anti-gun, I just don't have a need for one. I do not hunt. I have younger kids and grandkids that don't need to find a gun and experiment.

Anyway, I made it to work in one piece once again, and once again, I didn't kill anyone along the way. I consider this a good drive to work (as if driving to work can ever be considered a good thing).

Chaos has returned

Tammy got back home around 8 am on Saturday.

I carried Grammy in and put her on the couch. She is sweet and funny. She is off meds because the nursing home messed up her Medicaid and couldn't supply them for her time between nursing homes or the trip. Tammy said that she talked nearly non stop on the 1000 mile drive. She said once, at 80 mph, that she had to go, and reached for the door handle. She talked to the sunroof and the window a lot. Tammy figures it is because she could see her reflection in them.

After some serious hugging and kissing and welcoming back home, Tammy laid down for a bit. Grammy was still on the couch and still talking. At one point, she began vomiting. I tried cleaning her off as best I could. That didn't work. Then I was heaving. Dry heaves, gotta hate those.

Tammy was up at 10 to go with me. We returned around 11:30 and she went back to bed.

I got her up around 2 when Chasity, Chris, and Ian stopped by for a visit and dropped off clothes for Sierra. It was a good visit with the kids.

Grammy wanted some water. She had slid down a bit. When I raised her up, I was almost knocked over by the smell. She had messed herself. She also threw up the water. We were worried about her getting dehydrated. She wasn't eating. She wasn't keeping down liquids. We called an ambulance and had her transported to one of the local hospitals ER. They put her on IV and admitted her. We were relieved. She is nearly 92 and doesn't need to be dehydrated. If we cant get her to keep down fluids, then an IV is the only way to go.

We skipped the class on Saturday evening, because of Tammy's tiredness and the situation with Grammy.

We grabbed a bite on our way home from the ER and settled in for the rest of the night.

I don't know what time it was when we turned off the TV and cuddled in the bed. We were kinda cuddled anyway. We were watching TV in the bed. I tried out the violet wand on Tammy's wrist and back. There will be more experimentation. For those unfamiliar with a violet wand, it is an old medical device. It was thought to cure just about anything at one time or other in the 20's and 30's. It uses a Tesla Coil to generate high voltages of electrical energy that is transferred through vacuum tubes. When placed in close proximity to the skin, the charge jumps from the tube to the skin. It was believed to produce positive medical results. I think it might have been a forerunner to the TENS unit.

We finally got up (for good) around 11:15.

It is a beautiful day out. We are off to shop and enjoy the sunshine.

can you see my smile ? My baby is back !!

Friday finally gets here

Yesterday was class in Morehead, KY. It was a long day, but a good one. The class presenters, Ron and Beth Harrison, were great. They were very knowledgeable and very down to earth. I learned a lot. It was a good learn.

I came home tired. I retired early.

Today has been a slow day. Malcolm has been with me. He loves going to work with me. He has a problem with Richard, the carpentry teacher. It is interesting. Every now and then, Malcolm will just instantly dislike someone. I don't know if he gets a vibe off of them or what, but there isn't much you can do to change his mind. He is leery of everyone he meets for the first time, usually. There are some to which he takes an instant liking. I was one of those.

My shop is more crowded now. Mike got some tables in. I had to unload them with the forklift. There was no-one else here that is certified to drive it or willing to drive it. I think it is the unwilling part that got me to drive it. Those that could, wouldn't.

I have been working on designing and drawing the plans for my new classroom.

Tammy is leaving Florida this afternoon. YEAH !!!

Wednesday .. Still alive

yes .. It is true. I am still living.

The house is not a disaster. There haven't been nightly parties. I have not destroyed the kitchen. I have not burned down the house. I have been rather tame. Malcolm has been with me the last two days at school. Cleo has been in the kennel during the day while we are gone. This has not stopped her from crapping in the hallway during the night, but she has not been chewing, destroying everything in sight either.

Tammy cant sleep with the bedroom door open. (some neurosis) I have slept with the door wide open both nights. It doesn't bother me. However, there are certainly a lot of noises that the closed door filters out. Other than adjusting to a few new sounds, it has been ok. I have slept without waking for the last two nights. (Are you poking me in my sleep, honey?)

They are finally clearing out all the unnecessary machinery out of my lab. It look so much bigger now. That is a good thing. The noise that my AC just starting making is not a good thing.

Tomorrow is a class in Morehead. It is about teaching special needs kids. I think it will be an interesting class. I can understand how that might apply at the high school, but most special needs kids (and I am not being prejudicial) really do not need to be in a construction environment. I have a couple students with hyper activity issues. They are special needs enough.

Regardless, any learning is good learning.

The much dreaded Monday has arrived

I am already at work. Tammy is loading up the van most likely as I type. She was rousting chitlins as I left. Chella and Kyle were up. I made her agree to call me every few hours or so to let me know she was OK. She assured me that she would be fine. I told her that she needed to call and make sure that I was fine. She agreed.

We will wear out our cell phones this week. Thanks goodness for unlimited mobile to mobile.

I will pour myself deeper into work. I will probably sleep on the couch a lot. I wont answer the house phone. Everyone that really needs to talk to me knows my cell number. If you don't, you don't really need to talk to me. If ya really need to talk to me and don't know the number, ask !

I will fill my head with work and trivial pursuits. Any that keeps my mind active is a good thing.

Don't worry if I begin to appear to be melancholy, it is normal. Look for more blogging.

Monday looming .. The short term and the long run

Monday is looming over the horizon. I will leave for work as usual. When I return home, home will be emptier than it has been in a long time.

I know Tammy has to make the trip to Florida. She doesn't have to go, according to her divorce agreement, but she thinks it would be unfair otherwise. Even though, he chose to move to Florida. I know she needs to go pick up her grandmother and bring her here where she can care for her. I know she will be gone less than a week. My head knows all these important factors. My head even knows, that in the long run, time away will make us stronger together.

But, in the short term, this place will be be way empty. I will miss the kids while they are gone for 5 weeks. I will miss Tammy terribly much more. My bed will seem larger than it's 7 foot by 6 foot size. It is a large bed and we sleep in a tiny area of it. We are generally tangled. I will miss my tangled mess.

Tonight, we will squeeze time in. Tomorrow, we will be inseparable. Monday is coming.

I am gonna miss her so.

it's later

Refer to lower for earlier reference...

I managed to stay awake ..

I am now OSHA 10 Certified

Sleep ? What's that ?

Trying to get extra sleep at our house is useless.

I always wake up several times during the night. That fact withstanding, I can still get extra sleep by not getting up as early or going to bed earlier. Last night I tried. I did go to bed earlier. Then I was up with the dog (Cleo) tearing stuff up. She went to the kennel. She whined a bit but eventually shut when she realized that no one was coming to release her. Then at 2:30, my phone started to ring. It was in my pants across the room hanging on a portable desk that I made. By the time I got to it, the message had picked up.

I had an interesting conversation with my dad on Monday during the family gather for Memorial Day. He wanted to know what was wrong with my phone that he had troubles trying to reach me at times. I explained that there was nothing wrong with the phone. I just do not allow the phone to be my master. I am the master of the phone. I decide when I want to talk on the phone. I decide when I want to talk to certain people. Just because that thing rings, it doesn't mean that I put my whole life on hold and immediately spring into phone talking mode. Sometimes, I am eating, or drinking, or going to the bathroom, or watching a movie. What I am involved in is not always conducive to chatting. There fore, I am the master of my phone.

That being said, there are times when it is prudent to answer the phone. 2:30 in the morning is one of those times. It might be a family emergency. It might be one of my kids. It might be one of my parents. So, at 2:30 last night I was stumbling through the room in the dark, trying to find my pants, and then find the pocket, and find the phone. When I did finally find it, it displayed "private number". A few seconds later it said I had a message. I told it to read it. It said "Please call 7." What the heck that meant I have no clue.

I guess if it were important, they would have called the other 2 numbers at which we can be reached.

Anyway, it did no good. I was droopy eyed during the morning classes. I figure I will be droopy eyed the rest of the day as well.

More later .....

Toothpicks

I have toothpicks holding my eyes open. I just came out of one of the most boring classes I can remember. I am taking an OSHA 10 class. It is a safety class. The guy teaching is one of those 'love to hear the sound of my own voice' teachers. He drones on and repeats himself and tries to use 13 words to impress us when 1 word would convey the thought or idea. Toward the end, it was all I could do to stay awake.

AND .... I have to go back tomorrow !

I'll have to get plenty of sleep tonight. I don't know if that will help or not. I'll bring extra toothpicks just in case.

Self Portrait

Reama asked that we (readers of her blog) do this self portrait thing. Here's mine:


Self Portrait

Looking past the glassy reflection of my eyes
Never fooled by the projected exterior
Like the whited old southern mansions
Not portraying the turmoil beneath their peaceful pallor
I allow my eyes to wander room to room
There are rooms of passion and rooms of play
There are rooms of utility and rooms of fulfillment
There are rooms for living, lined with memories
All are veiled by the thinnest coat of respectability

Except now, as I look deeply into the mirror
reconciling the contradictions
Knowing the same house can hold all rooms
I can house my pains and my joys
I can hold my weakness and my strength
Each room faithful to the others
accepting the needs of all
Embracing the differences
Just across the friendly smile of the welcome mat

Come for a look sometime

Ron Simpson, Jr.
June 1, 2005

Gonna miss her .. while she is away

Passion’s Masterpiece

Picasso’s brush has never painted so true,

As when I brush across your skin,
The love written is mightier,
Than words by Shakespeare’s pen,
Beethoven’s opus cannot rival,
The crescendo of our love,
Colored more boldly,
Than the rainbow above;

Even the finest poet’s words
Cannot contain,
Cannot explain,
Without refrain,
The passion in our touch.

No melodious composition rivals its sweetness,
No orchestra has played so fine,
No fruit has so tempted the palette,
No grapes have ever yielded a greater wine,

Like the soft warm summer rain,
Your love
Cascades,
Invades,
Pervades,
Completely throughout is your touch.

I am soaked,
to the bone.

Ron Simpson, Jr.
November 26, 2003

Almost the end of the year

The end of the year is coming. The end of the fiscal year, that is. Suddenly there is money that needs to be spent and it has to be spent by June 30th. I have roughly $700 to spend on shop/lab items and $2500 to spend on educational software or video/DVD's. I am scouring the internet looking for the most bang for my buck (well .. Your buck). My funding comes from the State and Federal Government. We are tied to the Welfare Program. We are part of the 'education to work' initiative. So, if you pay state taxes in Kentucky or Federal taxes at all, I am looking for the best way to spend your money. Let me just say, as a bonafide representative of the State of Kentucky ... "Thanks !"

It is really Monday here. I was off work yesterday. I have classes on Thursday and Friday. So, today is Monday (work wise) and tomorrow is Friday (work wise).

It has been a slow day here. I am trying to get things together for the end of the teaching year just finished and ready things for the next one coming in August. In the middle of all that, trying to get things ready for Tammy's trip to Florida to take the kids and to pick up her grandmother.

OK .. Just ordered $2396.84 worth of computer software for my class.

As a footnote, Bush denies that he is losing clout. It seems he is losing touch with reality as well.

Memorial

The sound of freedom isn't the big brass band
It is the sound of a single bugler
It is the weeping of a mother and father
It is the sound of one last breath

The price of freedom isn't measured in the seeming countless lives lost on other shores and our own.

It is one life.

It is one life given freely in the pursuit of a dream. It is the all of one life stopping a tyrant. It is one life counting the costs and paying that price, that freedom may last for just one more day, if that is all that one could buy. It is often paid in obscurity. It can be lost in statistics. When the final tally is counted, and freedom is placed on the scale, one life will balance it all.

The joy of freedom is the unbridled laughter of a child on a sunny day. The taste of freedom is the milk which feeds the next generation. Freedom is the bread which sustains us in the darkest of prisons. Freedom thrives on the memorials and monuments in the hearts of free people.

Today, we celebrate the freely given sacrifice of men and women throughout our history. Each giving what they had. The cost of freedom .. One life.

I remove my hat in reverence and thanks.

And just a couple months ago .. it was this .. 

Holiday weekend

We tried to go grocery shopping early yesterday. We do a good bit of our grocery shopping at Sam's Club. I have business membership, which allows me to shop during the business only hours. Those are 7 to 10 in the morning during the week. The parking lot is empty. There is no crowd inside. It is much easier to shop. We tried. We didn't make it until 10:30. The lot was full. The aisles were crowded. The only good difference is that the 'sample ladies' are out and there are food samples.

The rest of the day was a mismatch of calm and chaos. I am beginning to rethink the idea of having the kids (Sierra & Jordan) living above us. It seems they are the flop house. Their friends come over to 'flop' and then won't leave. Sierra came downstairs complaining about that and seeking some remedy. Later, when Tammy confronted those people and Jordan about them leaving (along with Jordan's wanting to bring a bottle of vodka into the apt), Sierra changed her tune and screamed at Tammy and told us they were just gonna move. A little while later, she and Jordan and some of the friends left, Sierra with a little backpack. They took off on foot, supposedly to find a new place to stay. They came back shortly.

What ticks me off the most is that a little while later she was downstairs, as friendly as she could be, asking for something to eat. It wasn't that they had no food. She didn't want to eat what they had. She didn't want it. It was as if the events and her words of earlier didn't exist any more. I hate that 'being used' feeling.

Oh, yeah, the vodka thing .. The lease has a clause in it about illegal activities in the apt being a reason for eviction. No-one in the apt is over 19. No-one is legal drinking age. Therefore, alcohol in the apt is illegal. Just another reason for Sier-rama (Sierra Drama).

We were going to a 'Munch' last night, but didn't feel up to it.

So, the day was a slow start to the holiday weekend.

Real pain

I was thinking today about the pains of parenting. I know I can never experience the joy/pain of childbirth (and don't want too .. Do I look crazy ? OK .. Don't answer that.) There are pains in all relationships that are common, yet hurting. They are still not near the apex of this real pain. There is the pain you feel that accompanies the helplessness of watching your child in sickness or pain and knowing that your best efforts are not going to change or ease that sickness. It is the pain of 'waiting it out'. There are the pains you feel as you watch the face of your child and listen to the hurt in their voice as they describe in sobbing details how someone else has hurt them (physically or emotionally.) While those are difficult and never the least bit enviable, they are still not up there with the hardest pain. The real pain of parenting is not letting them go. That is difficult enough, but it doesn't reach the pinnacle of parenting pain.

As a kid I was convinced that one of the dumbest things my parents ever said to me was in the middle of correcting and punishing me. They would express in these words or words quite similar, "This is hurting me as much (or more) than it is hurting you."

Can we say, "BS?"

Yeah, if this is hurting you as much as it is hurting me, why are you able to sit down ?

As a parent now, I fully understand those words.

Nothing hurts as much as when you are correcting or punishing a child for some wrongdoing (as is a parents responsibly .. According to the manual) and they respond with one of hundreds of hurtful expressions, such as: You don't really love me; I hate you; How can you do this if you really care like you say; and one of my personal faves, I never want to see you again.

Here you are, fulfilling your role as the patriarch or matriarch of the family. You have seriously considered the crime and the suitable punishment. You are in the process of administering said recompense, when all that vile and anger gushes out of this, your loving child. It tears pieces from your heart and stomps them there on the ground. Somehow, while bleeding profusely from wounds inflicted by someone for whom you would die, you have to maintain your composure, and be the true parent. You have to be fair, yet unwavering. You have to be stern, but loving. You have to be the molder, even when the clay refuses to be molded.

That is the real pain of being a parent.

Somedays, it just isn't worth chewing through the leather straps.

this mornings fog 

from the balcony 

Home sweet home

We are back !!

We got back a couple hours ago from Natural Bridge State Park Resort. I had a class (or 5) and Tammy and the kids went along to explore. It was a good (exhausting) time.

My classes were about intergrating technical training and academic learning. It was about making education more real life. This is something I have been doing since the day I started teaching at CCATC. There were some great speakers. There was a host of idea sharing. It was great.

The pic above or below this post is the view from the balcony of our room.