You Might Be in Our Family....

1. If you blame inappropriate humor on a particular bloodline.

2. If  you've ever sung, "It's time to go-o, it's time to go-o. I hear those silv'ry tru-umpets blo-ow, it's ...."

3. If  you've ever been fishing for 5 days in a row with nothing to show for it.

4. If  the most camping you do is in a front / side yard right in town.

5. If you receive family letters written in "the order I made my notes."

6. If you ever asked what was for dinner and were asked, "How do you want your hamburger?"

7. If  you've ever been the only person in church NOT singing the melody line of a hymn.

8. If  you've ever been part of a min-van caravan (or a Caravan caravan...).

9 If  you brake for Yard Sales.

10. If you look for Christmas presents that don't hang on a wall or sit on a shelf.

11. If you swam in the river as a kid, but won't let your own kids do it.

12. If you walked to church during summer vacation because it was faster than driving.  

13. If you thought six kids was a normal-sized family.

14. If the sight of a 3/4 ton camper shell gives you chills.

15. If you agonize all year about one meal you will cook in the summer.

16. If sleeping on the couch is the better choice.

17. If you ever made a movie about waiting to go to the bathroom.

18. If you have to hide cards to play solitaire.

19. If you have been in a parade for a town you don't live in.

20. If your parade costume is older than your parents.

21. If you or a relative have ever made up rap songs about how boring the town is.

22. If the sound of "Good morning to you!" woke you at six in the morning.

23. If a highlight of the week is visiting the D. U. P. museum.

24. If you have to go to the Indian store at least once in a summer.

25. If the playground is more dangerous than playing football.

26. If the only exercise you get is walking to the post office at 10:00 a.m.

27. If you wait to go to the post office until Price is Right is over.

28. If three bags of cereal is not enough.

29. If you ever crashed a sled to avoid barbed wire.

30. I church attendance triples when you visit family.

31. If you get 30 people ready for church with only one shower.

32. If the Rock Shop is a major destination.

33. If you've ever hiked to the dump.

34. If you have to drive the dips at least once a year.

35. If you had to walk around town just to discuss Harry Potter 6.

36. If the closest internet connection is 15 miles away in a library.

Feel free to submit more....

In Honorem

 

I stood, transfixed, as the newscasts that morning showed the planes crashing , over and over, into the Twin Towers. I drove to school and turned the TV in my classroom to the news. I told my students that day that their world would never be the same again. I wept with the rest of the nation at this senseless loss of life, and for the families of those who died as a result of this cowardly act. We still weep now. May we never find the need to do so again. God  bless all those who still have empty rooms and hollow memories. 9/11/01 -- never forget.

The Pink Mountains

Just a quick note here. Many things say "home" to me, but nothing says "family" quite like this.

Have a Sip

Okay, so we just got back from a football game--yet another loss. One thing we noticed while there, is that, once again, our team seems to be just a bit smaller than the other. This begs the question: What are they putting in the water in our town that keeps the kids so small? Our basketball team, football team, volleyball team, etc., are ALL small compared to the teams we meet from other schools. We won't talk about attitudes, but I hesitate every time I take a drink. Of course, the smell of either sulfur or chlorine (depending on the time of year) makes me hesitate anyway, and the fact that almost everyone here gets their gall bladders removed sooner or later contributes to the paranoia. Evian anyone?

Why Johnny Can't Write

Delirious sent us on a quest to read a blog post from Euripides. After perusing that post, I found this one: The De-Educating of America  and couldn't control my pounding heart as he clearly stated the very things I have been thinking for quite some time now. My hat is off to you, sir! I only hope that one day we can say there is absolutely nothing wrong with the US educational system.

Mad as Heck

I love working with kids, but there is one thing I've come to get very upset about. Irrational Parents. Irrational parents who make unthinking, uncaring, down right stupid accusations without ever consulting me first. If you have a problem, bring it to me, I will try to fix it. If I can't fix it, I will help you cope with the fact that I can't fix it, and look for alternate solutions, or bring in someone else who can possibly fix it. If all you want to do it b**** about it, then maybe you should go to the kennel.

Don't get me wrong. There have been dozens and dozens of parents over the years who I have greatly appreciated and admired. There have been many who I still consider friends. Then there are those who can't come to me directly, but have to p*** and moan behind my back like the gossips that populate the back streets of little burghs like this one.

           

For any of you who may have had problems with a teacher, or in a class. GO TALK TO THE TEACHER FIRST!!!!!!!! Don't just go straight to the principal, or school board, or whoever you think can hold something over their head. COMMUNICATE!!!!! I am so sick to DEATH of ingrates who can only find fault, but never offer anything positive in return. They can't do better, so they'll just make things worse instead.

               

No, you can't control me, so get the h*** out of my face!

                    

Thank you. This has been brought to you by the "Would-You-Like-Some-Cheese-With-That-WHINE Foundation."

Cloudburst, by Eric Whitacre

I saw the BYU Singers perform this. This is conducted by the composer. Enjoy.

Time to Step Up

   
  

   

I finally read the text for Pres. Obama's speech to school children tomorrow. I have to admit, my mind is put at ease, if this is the totality of his words. I don't really think there is anything wrong with the text that was released. 

            

I think the true issue is not that Pres. Obama, or Bush, or whomever you may name has talked or will talk to school children. One issue is that nobody knew what was going to be said to the children. One issue is that the text was not released until 24 hours before the speech was to take place. As a teacher, and as a parent, I would rather know more in advance. That, for me is not the crux of the full issue.

            

The true issue is that as a rule, though none of us want to take their place, politicians, as a species have become so totally untrustworthy that we dare not allow ourselves the luxury of relaxing when they open their mouths. We know that too many politicians have become drunk with power, and have not conducted themselves in moral manners. 

                    

Our nation was founded on the principles of honor and integrity. It would be nice if those values were reflected in the political lives of our leaders! I have often wished that my kids could have an interview session with some of the prison inmates I work with, but I would be hesitant to allow them to do the same thing with some of our nations leaders!

              

I have come to realize that I have a fairly dogmatic view of the world. So be it. If that means that the things I believe strongly in today will be the things I believe strongly in tomorrow, then let it be so. If that means My children grow up realizing that homosexuality is a life-style choice, and not an excuse for celebrity, then so be it. If it means that I start telling smokers to keep their cancer away from me and my family, then everyone else can deal with it! 

          

This is not a political discussion, it is a moral discussion. I have not always been the most moral person in the world. I have learned from my mistakes. I have learned from failure. I ask the leaders of our country: What have YOU learned? Cigarette smoke kills more people than texting while driving and assault rifles put together, and second hand smoke is even worse. But some of our leaders smoke, and others are lining their pockets with funding from tobacco companies. Alcohol companies do the same thing, I'm sure.

                

I am not suggesting that they should be more than human, and I know we all make mistakes. I know I've made my fair share. I am suggesting that the political leaders of our nation should step forward! Be LEADERS! Be Role-models! Stop allowing our country to wallow in the degradation that is encouraged by the actions of its "Ruling Class." Be someone we can TRUST again!

                          

No, I am not so naive as to believe that any of this will change any time soon, nor do I believe that this blog post will ever have any effect on the rules of the establishment, but I feel a little better already!

Fanfare for the Common Man, by Aaron Copland

Just for you, Inklings! Everyone else can enjoy too!

My Life is Up in Smoke

 

So, for the past week, there have been numerous fires around the state, adding to the smoke coming in from California.The result has at times looked like we were half in a smoker's lounge, and half in a nuclear winter. Needless to say, I (and others) have been having difficulty breathing. It makes me wonder how smokers can even make it through a day, let alone a week, month, year, lifetime of inhaling stuff that kills people every day.

    

And then I thought of a solution--the answer is in Australia. That's right, little koalas have, in their diet the solution to some of our problems. All the government has to do is seed all those thousands of acres of wilderness with Eucalyptus trees! Then when there is a forest fire, at least we will be inhaling MENTHOLS!