Miscellaneous Missives

Most forwarded e-mails annoy me, but some are actually humorous. This one rings a bit true. Besides my other options are to post about: the time I spent trying to find shoes to wear to school tomorrow, the time I spent figuring out how much this dog bite has cost me financially, the time I spent reading my boring book, the time I spent online with bill pay, the time I spent with a Verizon representative trying to get my bill lower, etc. What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions: If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% and K-N-O-...

I am disappointed that I am not able to post Youtube videos to my blog lately. Today I tried to post a clip of Michelle Bachmann, a great embarrassment to Minnesota. The lady is a nutcase ! She inferred that the Swine Flu outbreak was related to the Democrats since the outbreak has occurred under Obama's presidency and earlier occurred during Carter's presidency. As usual, she has NO CLUE what she is talking about since the outbreak occurred during Ford's (Republican) presidency.

Today while I was chatting with my brother online, I learned Arlen Specter became a Democrat. Although this frightens me, it also entertains me. It looks like the Dems are closer being able to block the filibuster. Give it up Norm. Also today Sojourner Truth became the first African American woman to have a place of honor among the statues in the U.S. Capitol. Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and a supporter of woman's rights. Michelle Obama spoke and perhaps Hillary Clinton summed it up by saying, "We're here because of barriers she tore down."

The Serenity Prayer "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." I'm not sure of the origin of this prayer, but I thought about it today as I was home sick. Instead of purely focusing on taking care of my health, I also took some time to work on contacting the the foster parent of the dog that bit me. My goal was to set up a meeting with Animal Ark, the owner of the dog. My frustrations with this process are starting to become intense. First, Animal Ark has not contacted me once since the dog has bit my face. Second, my "out of pocket expense" hasn't been huge, but it adds up (driving to White Bear Lake for laser, plus $954 of my $1100 deductible). Lastly, since the scar is on my face, it's quite apparent to everyone I see and meet. As time continues, I think more and more about getting a lawyer. Although I want to "do the right thing," I feel a...

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean-- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? This poem was mentioned today while I was talking with a group after church. It reminded me of pictures I took last week on ...

I'm bummed that I was not able to post this video through Youtube. It's an entertaining look at the news amid the grim day to day news (economy, torture, pirates, national disasters, etc.). These guys, the Gregory Brothers, have auto-tuned the news. I especially like the Katie Couric part. If the link does not work, copy and paste this Youtube link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBb4cjjj1gI). They do have other clips. BTW- I saw it on Rachel Maddow.

I am trying to once again explain the difference between prose and poetry to my seventh graders. Today I tried to explain that poems are lyrical going as far as asking them to think about putting their poems to music. Me- "Think of your favorite type of music and sing or rap your poem. If it reads like a song, it is closer to poetry. If it reads more like a story..." Student 1- "What's your favorite type of music?" Me- "Polka" Student 2- "What's polka?" Me- "I don't really know." Student 3- "It's accordion music." Me- "That might be true. You start working on your poems, and I'll look for polka music on iTunes." I searched for the polka music and found some examples in iTunes. At the end of class I played a couple of the songs. Student 4- "It's the chicken dance song." Me- "Oh, yes, I think it is." Student 5- "I think I like polka music." I think this was fa...

Today is Earth Day. It is my understanding that Screw Earth Day is a campaign that underscores the importance of "making every day Earth Day." Caring about our Earth and environment shouldn't be a "one shot" fix. As I entered my classroom today and reminded the students to recycle the cardboard boxes their breakfast came in, a student said, "Yeah, today is Earth Day." I looked at him and responded, "Every day is Earth day." Although I received a strange look, I did get the student to smile and think about my statement. I read an article this morning that debunked the Screw Earth Day campaign. The author stated that the "Greenwashing" (companies put green in front to look good and continue to pollute the planet) of products isn't necessarily a bad thing because at least these companies are beginning to realize that many consumers are looking for "green" products. My guess is that they don't necessarily under...

Tonight was my first night watching Idol this season. I prefer to wait until there are ten or so contestants left before I start watching. At dinner this evening, they were talking about Idol especially Adam, so I decided to "tune in." Besides I knew it was disco night and I learned to disco dance in eighth grade. After my single night of watching, my favorite contestant is Allison. Maybe I like her because she seems like a rocker. Matt was interesting, and I think I like him too. Adam was not as wonderful as my friends stated. Maybe I was expecting something more. No one compares to Chris Daughtry, and yes I'm still bitter about his early exit. As the show nears its end, it is evident that they did not "save the best for last" although Anoop's parents looked adorable. Maybe I'll tune in again next Tuesday.

According to OPI, Bronzed to Perfection, is a "toasty brown that's totally sexy." I thought perhaps you would want to see my latest nail color purchase. It's from OPI's South Beach Collection. Oh, you didn't? OK... Happy Monday!

"Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. With every step I take Let this be my solemn vow. To take each moment And live each moment With peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me." Today's church service was a service about peace. A wonderful lady that usually sits near me said, "I think today is a peace service." As she looked more closely at her bulletin she said, "It looks like any other Sunday." This is the wonderful thing about the service I attend, peace, nature, the Spirit within are always part of the service. Today's service, however, was about peace. As we sang a response about peace, the countries (most) of the world were also sung. At first I thought they might only mention the countries in midst of severe turmoil and chaos but many more were sung. Each member of the congregation had a small candle to place on a beautiful canvas of the world. Tears came to my eyes as I watched people who ...

Last night I stayed alone at my father's hobby farm (acreage, farm, prairie...). I was amazed at how dark it was. With no streetlights, the night was black with little dots of light in the distance. It was also eerily quiet, and I had difficulties sleeping. This morning as I awoke for my walk, the opposite was true. Instead of taking my iPod on my walk, I enjoyed the sounds of the birds and other creatures. A concert of sounds exploded the closer I walked to the little ponds. Of course the regular performers (ducks, geese, and pheasant) were the loudest, but the little song birds joined in to make it a pleasant sound. Another sound, near the water, was unfamiliar yet added to the ensemble. Since I thought there might be geese nesting, I took my camera. Instead of catching geese nesting, I tried to record the sounds of the pond. Although it didn't seem to pick up the song birds, it will portray, in sound, a little of the morning.

It seems this is a quote from a Robert Burns poem. I find this a bit confusing. Do mice really make plans? Each and every day I make plans, but I often do not follow through with my plans. Since I am at my father's house this evening and he is gone, I made a plan. My plan was to figure out my writing unit, look at videos on Teachertube for my upcoming poetry slam unit (check- well, kind of), blog on something of substance, and look over my "Local Food: Global Good" information for the class I'm teaching on Sunday. Most of these items in my plan will not happen. Instead I am geeking on the computer and watching a tractor drive across a neighboring field and dig up the dirt (not quite sure... till???). Is it more important to make the plan or follow through with the plan?

In October I was bit by a dog. The blurry picture above shows the marks. Because glue stitches are on the deepest wound, it is difficult to see its intensity. Either because I'm a good person or because I'm an idiot, I did not contact an attorney. As time passes, I begin to question this decision more frequently. If the person in charge of the dog wasn't a friend of a friend, I'm sure I would've contacted an attorney immediately. Over the last few months I have had laser treatments (pro bono to help out either agency or person harboring the dog). Although they seem to be helping, the scar is quite intense. Today I went to see the doctor who has been administering the laser treatments. I left the office in tears of frustration. He thinks I should do nothing for two or three months. This could be quite costly to me if a) it is too late to see an attorney b) destroys my summer c) nothing can be done to fix the scar. My frustration has been controlled for ...

Thanks to NCLB, we have the MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment). As I post, I am monitoring one of my classes. Most have finished and need to remain silent. What does this look like for the seventh graders in my room? JSR was sent out with an administrator because he could not remain silent. DA is quietly searching out something to read on the bookshelf. AW is pouting and writing on her had. The majority of kids are sleeping and a couple are reading. One student is still testing. Is this worth posting? I think it is because I have saved my favorite for last. KRM is swaying back and forth gathering static electricity on the back of his sweatshirt then turning to face the chair and touching the back of the seat to get the shock. He has done this several times remaining quiet without disturbing those around him. Oops, I take that back because DA has now started doing it too. I guess I need to put an end to my little bit of humor.

Tonight I am attempting to post to my blog via my cell phone. Why? I don't know. It isn't an easier method, but I thought I'd see if it worked!

Although yesterday I blogged at my irritation of the dog getting more (or as much) press as the pirate situation, today I saw this picture of the President running with the dog and changed my mind about its importance. This picture is awesome! My guess is most people reading this blog are familiar with the quote, "Bo knows." The new Obama dog name is Bo. Instead of being named after Bo (Knows) Jackson the dog is named after the girls' cousin's cat and Michelle's father's nickname (Diddley-- Bo Diddley). Of course there is controversy since the dog isn't a rescue dog, but the White House will be its second home (first home didn't work out). I think more controversy should surround the dog's name. After all, how can they give a nickname to a pet with a one syllable name?

News coverage always intrigues me. Bloglines helps me keep track of friends' blogs and different news organizations. I am amazed that many people actually rely on one source for all their news. How do they compare coverages? Over the last two days I have been amazed that the President's dog is getting more coverage, across various news organizations, than the man captured and held by pirates. Today he was rescued and once again shared news time with the new "green" (according to at least two sources) dog. This captain was a true hero as he saved his crew. Another sign of a true hero is that he exclaimed that the Navy Seals were the heroes, not him. Of course I am thrilled that the President has finally chosen his dog, but...

Today's Good Friday message was more thought provoking than most. Each Good Friday the words are used, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Of course today's message included these words, but for some reason today's service resonated with me more than most. Maybe it was the story about the bag lady in NYC. A business man in a suit and the bag lady bumped into each other. The business man yelled, "Jesus Christ." With her finger to her mouth, making the ssshhh sign, the bag lady replied, "Incognito!" This reminds me of a recent post where I mentioned the song If God was One of Us . Would I behave differently if every person I interacted with could be Jesus? It goes a bit farther than WWJD. We are the Christ in each person around us. Actually today's message was one of truth. Good Friday is a day to remember the crucifixion. It's a reminder that we "can't jump too quickly into joy." We need to remember the d...

I have refrained from posting about the Franken-Coleman race because it is absurd. Now it seems as though Coleman will continue to halt the process in the court system. I have no problem with Coleman continuing the process in court as long as Franken is given his deserved Senate seat during this lengthy process. Even some Republicans are calling for Norm to give it up. Take a minute to sign this petition . It's time for Franken to take his seat in Washington D.C.

Oh, you know the Alice Cooper Song. It is a song cherished by students and teacher's alike... School's out for Summer . As I sat by the pool and enjoyed morning walks without layers in Phoenix, I couldn't help but contemplate summer. Today as I came back to reality, I worked on some tasks for school. One of these was planning my next unit. Working on the schedule, I soon realized there are not many days left of school. Basically I need the school year to be at least two weeks longer. Of course I don't want it to be two weeks longer, but I don't have enough time to teach (or at least teach well) what is needed. Maybe I should put the school stuff away and take time to enjoy the rest of my break. First, I tried to post this via Youtube.com... It seems as though it didn't work, but it may appear later.

It's no wonder that some airport security people are a bit crabby. Today I arrived at the airport quite early since I was worried about getting lost driving to the car rental place. When I left Minneapolis the security lines were quite hectic with people trying to leave the misery, so this was a concern too. The lines this morning were sparse. As the security guard was giving polite instructions, I couldn't help but comment. SG (security guard)- Please remove all electronics bigger than your hand. Put them in a plastic bin. You can use as many bins as you would like. There is not rental fee. RG (random guy)- Do I need to remove my PSP? M and MBM (me and my big mouth)- Is it bigger than your hand? Although Random Guy was not impressed the security guard smiled and thanked me for my humor and smile.

As I hiked around the Grand Canyon yesterday I couldn't find words to explain the vastness and the beauty. A sign by a look out quoted a verse from Psalms, "Oh Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The Earth is full of thy riches." Psalm 104:24 This might explain the wonder as much as anything. I was disappointed with my pictures. Although I realize it is too vast to capture its greatness, the colors are washed out by the sun and not as brilliant as they were in person. I can't wait to come back and raft down the river!

Yesterday I was listening to the radio as I drove through Sedona. As I was witnessing the brilliant hues of the mountains and rocks, Joan Osborne's song "If God was One of Us" played. It was the refrain that I thought was fitting for this drive. "And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah." I also couldn't help be judgmental of the Sedona folks and thought the other lyrics might be more fitting for them. I regress. The drive was recommended to me by strangers the other night as we were drinking too many margaritas, and it was a certainly worth the extra time and distance.

This morning I took my directionally challenged self on a walk through the wash and returned home safely. Rabbits roam freely everywhere and as birds squeak from the trees. It is wonderful to see have sunshine and trees with leaves. Our afternoon was spent by the pool. The weather is 79º and sunny... "not a cloud in the sky." Today was absolutely perfect. Someone's ready for summer. Tomorrow will not be as pleasant since the temperatures in the Grand Canyon will change from 25º to 59º. Because the 1/2 day river trip leaves from a location too far away and because of my utter dislike of being cold, I have changed my plans. I guess the little sleeveless top and short set I brought to wear in the Grand Canyon will have to wait for summer. The challenge will be to see if I have enough layers.

Since it was too chilly to lay out by the pool today, we went to Canyon Lake and took in some of the sights of Arizona. We (two of us) also experienced the "Jummping Cactus" (A.K.A Cholla Cactus). K warned me about the cactus that "jumps out and clings." Not long after this I had one "jump out and cling" to my leg. As we were walking back, K told me I should be happy that she didn't take a picture of me leaning over (butt sticking out) pulling the piece out of my leg. Later as we were driving back to the city, I thought it would be grand to get a picture of the three of us in front of a Cholla Cactus. Of course this was not a grand idea after my previous experience. K warned us of the pieces on the ground which could jump up at us. Not long after, she had a piece stick to her foot. When she went to get it off her foot, it stuck to her hand. Staying away from the Cholla Cactus seems to be a good idea.

Although I've been up since 4:30, I have not yet had breakfast. We are staying with K and she has a grapefruit and orange tree in her backyard. Since I didn't post yesterday, I am posting as K squeezes grapefruits and oranges for our morning juice. It's going to be a great day!

At 7:30 this morning I arrived at school for our 1/2 day workshop set aside for grading and preparing for next quarter. The committee I co-chair had a fifteen minute staff appreciation "get together" at 8:00. It took probably thirteen minutes of my time. I also talked to a colleague about language arts for approximately four minutes. Since I already had my grades finished and had no intention preparing for next quarter, I: reserved a book at the bookstore, started a travel blog for a friend, checked my bloglines, checked my e-mail, posted this blog entry, and chatted with a colleague about Passover. Although my morning has not been productive by work standards, I feel as though I have accomplished several tasks. Of course in the middle of my post, the phone rang, and I was forced to spend another seventeen minutes on committee work. This seventeen minutes was going to be used to tally and type up some results, but I'm sure it will wait until I return from Phoenix. ...

The truth is I am procrastinating packing and getting ready for Phoenix because I dread wearing summer clothing. My body is not ready for such exhibition. Actually I have plenty of time to pack tomorrow. How hard can it be? I sometimes do better if I "push things" to the last minute. For example, today I decided to go buy Prince's three in one CD collection (MPLSound, Lotus Flow3r, and some new female singer.. Bria-Valente) at Target. This doesn't seem to be "pushing it", but I left at the same time when I would normally leave to go to book club knowing that I would be ten to fifteen minutes late (the time needed to run to Target in the opposite direction, purchase the CD, and drive back towards my destination). After book club I had Bible study. Instead of getting to Bible study on time I sat to continue listening to the brilliant women discuss The Solace of Leaving Early knowing that I would bee ten to fifteen minutes late (the additional time I w...