After several attempts in vain ...

I tried several times to post to my blog, each time meeting with some sort of computer failure.

Good news ! Monday, the new Auto Tech teacher started at the school. My student population dropped from 61 to 38. I know it doesn't seem like much to have only 36 students in the course of a day, but it is, if you think it through. 3 of my classes consist of 4, 4, and 4 students. The remaining 2 classes, both first year students, are 12 and 14 students. Still, 12 and 14 don't seem like a huge number, until you consider that they are in the shop at least 50% of the time, working around power tools and some darned expensive equipment. Add to that, that the HS sends us the kids they can't control, for the most part.

This makes enormous sense. We can't control him in a classroom. Let's send him to a shop with power tools. Of course, it does make sense. He/She is out of their hair for 90 minutes.

Still, it is easier to teach 12 than it is to teach 12 and watch 17.

This week has been a mostly good one. Come on, I teach HS students. A mostly good week is a great week by anyone else's comparison.

It is hump day. All downhill from here. Let's see if I can coast it on in.

I am impressed by my Bravada. We needed to move a fridge from the old place we lived. We needed to do it today. We didn't have a truck we could borrow on such short notice (well, probably did, but didn't try too hard,) so we (meaning me and the mouse in my pocket) decided to use the Bravada. For those that don't know, a Bravada is an SUV. It is the fancy version of the Chevy Blazer. Anyway, Tammy took the Bravada and with the help of Jordan and Sierra, put the fridge in the back of the SUV. They laid down the two second row seats, and were even able to close the gate. As I said, I was impressed.

Now, we have to unload it. Awaiting the Chris. You know the type. Strong back, weak mind. Perfect for such projects.

Later y'all

This is after much receding 

Flooding on our street 

holey moley, batman

Another week has passed. It has been busy.

Still no Automotive teacher, and last report was that we wont have one on Monday, either. So, I am still pulling double duty, mostly. I did have a day or two this week when I wasn't doing the double. They had a sub in. My thinking (flawed, I am sure) is that, if we are not paying a teacher, why can't we afford a sub ? We did have a sub for a month before we hired an IT teacher.

Wednesday was a trip. We had a field trip scheduled. We were taking 80 kids to a Construction Fair in Shelbyville, KY. Tuesday afternoon, an hour before the end of the school day, we get an email from the high school and 34 sophomores will not be allowed to go because of a PLAN test. The thing on Wednesday was going to take 30 minutes and it was going to knock the students out of the whole days trip. I called a counselor and got her to approve them going. Then they called back and said the Principal nixed the whole idea .. No Sophomores.

We prepared to go, sans nearly half the group. The phone rings and it is Robyn (one of the counselors) and the Sophs are almost done. If we can wait 10 minutes, they can go. We wait. Then I have 74 students going with me and 2 others supervisors. It was an interesting trip.

It made for a split up week.

But .. Friday is finally here.

It was a tough day. Still, I made it. I am here. I am resolved to go on.

I am looking forward to getting out tomorrow. Dinner with friends. Singing. Fun Fun

Yes, I know

It has been a week since I last posted.

It has been a busy week. School is insane. Literally !

My principal called my classroom and asked when we were going to be done with the new classroom we are building. It is slated to be done in December. She wants it done in two weeks. Add to this that I still have an extra (can't take into the shop) 28 students. I have 2 classes of first year students, 11 and 14 in them, that are not at the level to help, that they should be, because I cannot take them into the shop.

Auto Teacher # 3 is now precariously dangling, about to drop off the list, maybe. Here is the run down:
#1 .. Took the job .. Had to give notice .. Then decided, since his daughter was sick, that he wouldn't take the job, even after Herculean efforts to get his teaching certificate reactivated.

#2 .. Great candidate .. Going through the process .. Suddenly, there is a marijuana conviction in 1990 .. Mistakes of a young man .. Disqualified him for a teaching certificate ..

#3 .. Great candidate .. Took the compass test (comprehensive readin, writin, & 'rithmatic test) .. Passed it .. Took the NOCTI (National Occupational competency Testing Institute) to see if he knew what he knew .. FAILED it ! .. retaking it .. We will see

My 2 week, can you do me a favor, has now turned into 5 weeks .. I have insisted that they get someone to take the class next week.

There is good news about Tammy's car .. I wont steal her thunder though .. Go to her blog (www.troubleshandful.blogspot.com) to find out what that news is .. She should have some news there this afternoon.

We are off this morning to a yard sale of one of my students .. Then to WallyWorld for some phoneline parts .. Then to crawl under the house to add phone lines .. Oh joy! All I can say is: It is good to have children of house crawling age in the house !

more to follow .. I will try not to be so remiss in my blogdom duties ..

Nine-eleven

Five years have passed since the Twin Tower Terrorist attacks. It seems as far as a lifetime ago and as close as yesterday. I have heard people recalling it for days. There have been special ceremonies and marked moments of silence. We observed a moment of silence in school today at 8:47 am, the time the first plane hit the tower.

Lots of people have talked about how 'nine-eleven' changed their lives. I have taken inventory to see how much that day changed my life.

In the immediate, it added sadness for our nations loss, and joy for our nations unity. It prompted prayers and discussions. It fueled our hunger for news (mine began in High School in 1975 when our class on current events scoured Newsweek ever week and I fell in love with the news.) It caused my heart to swell in the devastation and in the heroic efforts of those involved. It even prompted a letter to the editor.

Now, five years out, I look back at those incredulous days.

I can give the short answer. Of course, it changed me. However, it didn't have any lasting profound effect on my life. I still get up and go to work, as always. I still love my children like before. I don't worry anymore than before. I feel we are as safe as we ever were and are ever going to be. I don't fly on any regular basis, therefore the security measures at the airports haven't affected me. I don't dwell on the events of that day, any more than I dwell on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, or any other national day of heroism or attack. They are there to remind me, and around that day, I think about what happened and how it changed our country. I know nine-eleven changed our country as a whole, but don't see the over time long lasting effects it had on my life. I know they are there. I know, in ways I may never know, this day has changed things in my life. However, to look at my life and say, this day, or that day, or any day, made a dramatic change, is difficult.

Change doesn't come in sweeping swoops. It comes in small things. It comes in daily things. Nine-eleven may have been the catalyst for many changes, but I think they were inevitable changes. They were going to be ushered in slowly. The Gov't was going to implement them secretly anyway. Nine-eleven gave them the chutzpah to do it on the 11 o'clock news.

Please don't take this as any attempt to make less of what happened and to make light of any of the lives lost on that day. They were all parts of someone's family, someone's circle of friends. Someone's co-workers, and so forth. I feel for everyone of them. I would give each of them their loved ones back if I could. I am sure they feel just like the mothers and fathers of our sons of Vietnam. Every war has it's casualties. Again, not to diminish the lives lost. This war was brought to our shores uninvited. It came to a new generation. Vietnam was over there. Korea was over there. The Gulf War was over there. For the first time in a long time, Americans were dying, in America.

The long and the short of it is this:
Nine-eleven changed us all. Some it changed individually. Some it changed in the collective way. The sorrow passes. The outrage dies down. The passion wanes. The pain diminishes. When it all gone, only the real changes remain.

Some are just as arrogant. Some are just as mean. Some are just as sweet. Some are just as helpful. ... And a few are different ... Different on an inside level ... That is the slow sweeping change .. The change that lasts .. The change that brings us closer to who we were always meant to be ..

And that makes us all different .. So .. Yes, Nine-eleven changed me.

Without incident

The weekend came and went without incident.

The waterbed is up. We actually slept in our bed last night for the first time in 2 weeks. Wahooooo. The sleeper sofa we have is a quest bed, for sure. It sleeps ok for a night or two, but after three nights, it is way uncomfortable. It was designed with the Ben Franklin motto (fish and quests stink after three days) in mind. If we had quests sleeping on that sofa, they would be looking for a motel room after three night. We toyed with the idea several times of tossing the kids out of their beds on alternating night and letting them have the sofa and us sleeping in their beds, but we did the 'bite the bullet' parent thing.

Last night was great. Sleeping in the bed. It was quiet. Much quieter than I am used to after so long in the big city. In one evening, at our old place, more people drove by our house than live in Mt Sterling. More than once we have looked at our watches to check the time and were amazed at how early it was. It was quiet. It was dark. It had to be ... What !?!?!? 8:30 !! No way !!

It is a change I will gladly get used too.

The rest of the weekend was quiet as well. We didn't venture out to do any singing or other evening activities. It was just a much needed quiet weekend at home.

Yep, I could get used to this. Of course, eventually, it will get old and we will be heading out on occasion to do the singing thing, but I am not rushing that at all.

And your weekend ?

front porch .. waiting for new porch people 

the angel hutch mantle 

Dining room .. in progress 

quarter side shot 

front ..early Sunday morning 

OMIGosh

I can't believe it is Friday!

I was looking at blogs and took a gander at mine and realized I hadn't blogged in 4 days. That is so unlike me. Of course, it is unlike me to be so overwhelmed with work. Two nights this week, I have taken tests home to grade and never got to them. Moving in is time consuming. Tammy and I have a great deal of respect for each others opinions, and, while we think alike about most things, the things we think differently about are just as important. One of those areas where we might clash is in setting up the cosmetics of the house. You know .. The picture hanging and such.

Now, TJ can put her knick knacks and glassware just about anywhere she wants and I am fine with it. I am equally as sure that her choice in the placement of the pics is just as fine. She, however, likes to get my opinion before committing to any permanent hanging. I appreciate that. It does slow it down a bit though.

Then there is the living room and our bedroom. For now, they are the same room. Our waterbed mattress was damaged in moving. I ordered a new one. Until it came, which was yesterday afternoon, we were consigned to sleeping on the pull out sleeper sofa in the living room. Tonight, we put the mattress in and fill it up. Give it a day and a night to heat up, and we will be sleeping on our H2O flotation bed. That will be so sweet. I think a sleeper sofa is designed to chase guests away. They sleep comfortable enough to toss and turn, but still sleep. However, after 3 nights (longer than any guest should stay) they can be murder. The tossing and turning increases exponentially. So, by the third night, you barely sleep. I have a very comfy recliner, but it doesn't fit two. Soon ... Sweet sleep.

Mid term grades are due this week. I still have my two week automotive class. That two weeks has stretched into 5 weeks now. It is getting more and more detrimental to both classes. It seems that I am the only person that sees this as a continuing problem, besides the students themselves.

Let's see ... The rest is the same. I am still threatening a haircut. It is still getting longer. The cookout was a blast. The gazebo is up. Slowly, things are coming together. Chris has court today. It won't resolve anything. It is just time consuming.

The weekend promises to be busy. I'll try to stay in touch.

Whew !!

What a whirlwind. The weekend finally arrived. It has been a good weekend so far. The highlights:
Friday was a try to stay in night. We had plans for Saturday. We (briefly) considered driving to Carlisle to pick up the loaner moving van to have it here in case we had time on Saturday to move some things. The problem with that was that we really didn't have time to move anything on Saturday because of previous commitments. If we had the truck, however, we would try to make use of it. That would make Saturday a day from Hades. Like I said, it was a brief thought.

Saturday, we met friends that drove in from Chicago for lunch. Retro-Girl & Dark came for a visit. Retro is from Lexington for the most part, even if she was a transplant from Ohio so many years ago. Dark is from Canada but worked here and became one of Kentucky's native sons. It was great to see them for lunch. We were joined by Dwayne and Tina (mutual friends) and Brandy and her brood (being Cy, adopted Belle, Fallon the felon, and Cadence.) It was a great time at Buffalo Wild Wings, eating, playing trivia, and just fellowshipping.

We left there for a stop by the old house for packing and moving, even without the big truck. We didn't make Tucker's BD party, but did join his parents, C & R, later for a surprise birthday thing for C. It was at our favorite Karaoke spot, Todd's Karaoke. Retro, Dark, Dwayne, and Tina were there as well. We were also joined by friends, Sandra, Sandra's mom Sandra, and Jack. There was singing, drinking, and dancing.

We left Todd's around 10:30 and stopped by the 11th Frame Lounge to see another set of friends. Then, it was off to the Hacienda.

Sunday started around 9 AM. We got special permission for Chris to be on our old street to help move. This required calling Pre-trial Services every hour. We also alerted Metro to be aware in case the "Tadpole" called to report Chris. We loaded, and loaded, and loaded. We got most everything out that is coming out .. and coming here. Anything else, is coming out .. To the street.

We got home with the load and unloaded in time to collapse for am hour. Then, it was off to return the graciously loaned truck. While returning the truck, we bought an entertainment center for the living room. I know, we just unloaded 3 truckloads of furniture and stuff this week and here we are, adding to that amount. Go figure.

It is finally late. We have a cookout planned for tomorrow. Time to grab some z's

Later all ..

And something of my own

it is hard to imagine the full sense of the pain
imagine one death ..
see the family taken in sorrow with the same suddenness of the death
no time to prepare, as if anyone could really be prepared for death
see the sorrow magnified by the friends and acquaintances
if possible, boil it down into one pill, that will catch in a communities throat
then take that un-swallow-able pill
multiply it by the other 48 passengers on that flight
feel the sorrow spread like a fog
it is a sorrow so deep that it escapes the families and friends
it grabs the heart of a nation
strangers sit on edge listening for news
flags are flown at half
an unexpected unpredictable chill follows the fog
our hearts cry out in an anguish that fears to escape our lips
our tears become our prayers
as we silently lift up the families of the fallen
once again, tragedy has forgone our differences
it has linked our hands one more time
we will rush to make some sense of the senseless
we will try to celebrate the lives lived
with the same heart that breaks for their loss
healing must begin in the strength of the mighty
and be passed to the hearts of the weakened
we will bind the wounds
and apply the balm
then ...
we will live another day

Ron Simpson, Jr.
August 31, 2006
To the families forever linked by 5191

Written by one of my students .. used with permission

In Remembrance of Flight 5191

I know that it is not easy

I struggle with every word

It’s hard to think of what’s going on

As I know everyone has heard.

These families have been shaken

They’ve lost ones that they loved

But I know they’re all looking down

On us from above.

Words seem so useless

I wish there was more I could do

Lord, help these families

They need us but they need you.

I catch myself every day,

Trying not to cry,

I can’t explain how much it hurts

Not knowing that was the last goodbye.

Although we have lost them,

They’re not gone for good,

Try to think of the happy times,

As you know, they all would.

Time can only factor,

What has happened in the past,

Tell yourself you love them,

And that, your love will last.

Kenny Johnson

August 31, 2006

Moving .. and Lockdown !!

We spent the weekend moving into the new house. There was some missed communications that cost us a few hours of moving time on Saturday, but we still moved a lot. A friend loaned me a closed 15 foot Chevy 3500 moving truck. We filled it to the rim on Saturday and unloaded. Then, we started again on Sunday. We had a lot less help for a while. Help finally showed up. I placed a few phone calls and most everyone that was willing to help was working. Donnie D came by on Sunday to help us with the couch. This couch is a killer. It is a sleeper sofa that will not fit comfortably thru most 36 inch doors. The entry way into the living room of where we lived was only 34 inches. We used a tire tool to get it in. It took a hack saw, a removed door, and lots of pushing to get it out. Fortunately, the new place has double doors in the front.

School came way too early this morning. Auto students are still frustrated. One or two in particular are determined to cause trouble in the name of boredom and the afore mentioned frustration. I am sure, however, they would cause trouble without the boredom and frustration. This just happens to be the reason 'de jour'.

Then it happened. A few minutes into fourth block. The speaker crackles. One of the Asst. Principals at GRC announces a Level One Lockdown. My students inform me that there has been a mercury spill at GRC. It was in the Ag Dept. All students coming to the ATC walk thru that area to get to here.

Lockdown is funny. The students are suddenly dying of thirst. They are suddenly floating their bladders. They become quite claustrophobic. Some get antsy, some get sleepy. The professional troublemakers among the group see this as a prime opportunity to misbehave with some seeming justifiable cause.

I will try to fill everyone in this evening.

Closed

Yes, it is true ... We closed on the house.

Let's have a moment of revered silence for a process that has finally stopped clinging to life, refusing to be put to bed for the final time.

OK, moment's over, let the party begin ! ! ! ! ! !

Now, by party, I mean, Moving !

We closed yesterday at 3:30. I had a NCCER certification class in the morning/afternoon. Originally, I thought the class was all day. I called the class presenter to check, so I would know what time to tell the Mortgage Broker to schedule the closing. She informed me it was a 4 hour class, which began at 9:30 am. This should have put me out of it by 1:30 pm. That would give me enough time to get to the house for the final walk-through and then on to the closing.

OK, it should. However, since nothing has worked the way it should on this thing so far, why should this be any different?

Since only 4 hours was going to be used for the class, I needed to fill out a 'leave slip' for the remaining time of the day. The school secretary/time keeper told me to put it down as annual leave. I did, and presented it to the Principal for signing. She told me I could not take annual leave while students were in school (per our employee handbook) even though this had been done up until this point. She said I would have to use sick time. The only rub there is that our last staff meeting included a discussion about requiring DR notes for sick day absences. [This is the result of one or more teacher using a lot of sick days.] (we accrue one sick day, and one annual leave day per month for the 11 months we are in school. I have just over 17 days of combined leave available to me. Obviously, I am not one of the frequent missers.)

K told me she would approve it this time but would require a DR's note for subsequent absences. Now, I am not looking for special privileges, but a consideration for all the things I do, might be a nice touch. I am pulling double duty to the detriment of my first and second period Electrical students with the intrusion of (now) 18 Automotive students in our class. Hiring a substitute would be a plan.

I am handling, teaching two different trades, managing the co-op as co-op director, and being the Skills USA advisor. The two classes combined are about 70 students over the course of the day. Add to this the over 80 students involved with Skills, and the dozen or so wanting to co-op, and I have my hands full. Then trying to work my closing around so that I do not have to miss any work, and it can become frustrating.

Still, I have managed to remain my usual smiling cordial self, mostly.

I did tell K that she could approve or not approve the time off, or write it up any way she decided, but I was taking off all day. She had already gotten a substitute for the whole day. So, she could approve my time off as annual leave, or she could write it up as time off without pay, didn't matter to me, I was closing on the house, with or without being paid for it. Don't get me wrong, I understand her job and her choice. She is a new principal and her boss is trying to make changes in our school in areas he perceives as problem areas. He does this by making them issues the he constantly brings up.

(He was interim principal while we were without between agent J's leaving and agent K's arrival. He would come to me and tell me we needed to get my numbers up. My program was brand new. It was in it's first full year. He brought this up every day, like I was supposed to mount a big white horse and ride to the High School and drag conquered students back down to take Electricity. He came up with no effective solutions, but only pointed to the problem daily. I am sure this is his technique with K as well. She is feeling the pressure of those over her and some perceived nonsupport of some of her hirelings.)

BUT .... We closed.

We have a house.

Monday, all of these recurring problems return, minus the worry about closing (it is replaced by the worry of paying the mortgage .. Just kidding.) The computer will be dismantled and reassembled, so, I can't say with any certainty, that you will hear much from us this weekend.

So, let me just say, one more time ... We got the house ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Raz-a-frz-a-braz-a-racker continued

Ok .. If you are a regular reader of either Tammy's or my blog, then you know we are trying to buy a house. It has been one headache after another. Probably 6 months or better ago, we found the house we liked. I remember snow on the ground when we looked at it.
We decided we liked it and began the process about financing. There were a few hiccups there with a phantom foreclosure on my credit, that never happened. It took much paperwork to get that cleared.

Then, there were the several extended closing dates. Most of these were the mortgage company's inability to communicate about exactly what they needed. They also seem to misplace faxes. Regardless, we still persevered.

Then we get a package from the bank about our loan, the closing costs were doubled and the interest rate increased. Hell no!

We talked with our broker and others, even getting an offer to close in ten days with a cheaper interest rate by going FHA. (he FHA angle wouldn't work because of the type of heating in the house. )

Our original broker got serious at the prospect of losing the loan after all the work they did and scraped the fluff away, and presented a bare bones, cut the cost, closing.

This worked.

Still dealing with extra kids, my Principal's version of 'shit runs downhill', and a wavering closing date.

We have set the closing date several times and watched careen on by, laughing maniacally at us on the side.

Raz-a-fraz-a-braz-a-racker

More to follow ....