While I have been a way for a while from the old blog here, it does not mean that my brain is not go over all sorts of weird things. I was made aware that these writings could have consequences for me and my family, because people I had never dreamed would look me up, did.
My first response was, "Woo-hoo! An audience!" I quickly learned, "Not woo-hoo. Stop writing like that." I was severely torn over what to do in this situation. I decided to lay off the blog for a while and see if some of these readers fell away from disinterest. By coincidence, the latest Readers Digest had an article about this very thing.
I decided that this is my blog. I will do as I please with it. However, I am no longer so naive to believe that just my mother is reading this (heck, I picked up Bryus along the way, too). However, this may be the last post that is available to the public. I will start posting only to friends and family, and apologize to those that this poses a problem to (you will have to get a Vox account and let me know so I can approve you to read this stuff). At any rate, thanks for the interest!
As noted previously, we are coming up on a move to a new town. To get there we are doing the horrid ritual of "packing." The stuffing of our accumulated possessions into assorted boxes always seems like a daunting task. To help with those many hours, we decide what can be discarded, and what must be taken. This move has been no different. Today I looked over some things that I have carted from location to location, but rarely use or look at anymore. However, when I made the decision to let go of them, it really hung heavy on my heart.
These objects really held no specific memories for me, just of a different time in my life. I have other (smaller) things that point to that time as well, so these earned their departure. What makes us want to hold on to things so tightly? I am forced to wonder if these things do really make us happier with memories? I am led to believe that, no, we do not need s many trinkets to remind of us how to be happy. While I still will mourn the loss of some of my junior things, I am ready to give room to new things lying ahead.
So, my New Year's resolution to write to this blog regularly was stomped on and laughed at as it's death whimper sounded weeks ago. I will not make excuses, as they are boring to both write and read. What I will do is give a few updates in my lives.
As a teacher, I am still struggling to make this year work. I am constantly striving to bring bigger and better ideas to my students, and impress my boss. It never seems to be enough. We start CSAP testing next week, and that always feels so pressured to make the rest of the day (since we test first thing in the morning). Keep positive thoughts that I will make something of this year and use it to make my next year here that much better. Grades are due soon for both me and my wife, so things have been piling up, and frustration is high (you can only grade so many different assignments in a row before you get that way).
As a father, I am pleased to brag that my children continue to astound me with their growing intelligence and burgeoning personalities. My son continues to work in his advanced studies, and my daughter is reading well above her grade level. We will watch television together and I will get so tickled when my son decides some strange thing is funny and laugh hysterically. My daughter is the master of "pretend games," where she will make up some world or environment, and outfit herself (and anyone who will join her) with specific rules and roles to play in. They are a treat.
As a husband, I am watching my wife struggle with her career again. She is such a good teacher, and certainly has the ability to work anywhere she wants. Her current boss is torn how he wants to use her next year, and she is uneasy with that. We have picked up a rental house in another town (a twenty minute drive south of us), and she wants some stability to help with the chaos of that move. I am doing my best to provide that at home, but with the grading issues, it has been a losing battle. Not to mention we just seem so tired all of the time.
As a gamer, I am still running around with my wife in the world of Vana'diel. We continue to flit back and forth from jobs (I so want 75 - I can taste it). Our friends and I found a way to make money through a special fight, and are very pleased with the results so far. I started listening to Limit Break Radio, a podcast where some guys interview players and get insights on different aspects of the game. It is very entertaining to the geek in me. Not to mention that I am still working through Pokemon Diamond, just to keep ahead of my son (who is playing Pearl). I like to be able to answer his questions about things coming up for him, and show off some of the trickier things to spur him on.
As myself, I would like to think I am happy. Three of the four topics above make me very happy, and the other has some very nice moments. Other than the feeling that I should be doing so much more, I am ok. I have days where all I want to do is sit on the couch (or in front of the computer), and tell myself I deserve it because I worked so hard the other six days of the week. Even then, I know there are things to be done. Sigh. I hope the Effective Time Management Bug will bite me soon. Ah well, I'm still happy.
Even while my wife stands here and ridicules me, I can't help it. I really love these commercials (while the product he is selling is totally worthless). Enjoy!
This subject has been around for years, but recently I was struck by the sheer hilarity of it, and needed a forum to talk about it. Why does word choice effect our perception of an object or action? We could have the same object sitting before us, and one person will use a word to describe or name it. We all smile a bit, because the word seems cute or childlike to us. A second person uses another word to describe or name it, and we get very angry as his choice of word has an air of filth around it. Both words are simply names for objects, but one is nasty while the other is pure.
A specific example: years ago they had a gameshow on called "The Newlywed Game." In it, they asked married couples about their lives to see how well they knew each other. Sex often came up, only in the show they called it "whoopee." The action was still exactly the same, but they had created a new name for it, that was acceptable to the airwaves. However, if any of them had used a four letter word beginning with 'F' the show would have been yanked off the air. Both words are names for the exact same event, but one is taboo, and one is cute.
Another even happened to me at school. A student (they are about nine years old) came up to me to report that another student smelled bad, and they wanted me to do something about it. I asked (probably silly to do so) what he smelled like. The student was flustered for a second then brightened and said, "doo doo." For some reason I was immediately struck by all of the choices this student could have made to name that smell, but looked for the one that would offend me the least. Again, why should it matter what word was chosen, when they all are the same thing.
I will end by saying that on more than one occasion our language, and the way we use it has fascinated me. I have plenty more examples of bizarre things we do in the English language, and if I can get my lazy ass (oops - excuse me, lazy bum) over to the computer here, I will share some more.
At a staff meeting the other day, this video was presented to the teachers and support staff of our school. Some of the ideas and facts they put in this little film are fascinating (the English language is five times as large now than it was during Shakespeare's time is a good one). I myself was moved enough to present some of this information to my third graders. At first, they were quite put off that they had to "read" a video, but soon enough some of the facts sparked their interest. We got a decent discussion out of it. I am hoping that postin it here, we can get a few more people thing about these things.
And if you are really interested, a colegue of mine reccomends this site as well: The Miniature Earth
I got a Nintendo DS for Christmas, as well as the Brain Age game from my in-laws. It is supposed to be a "work out" for your mind. It is surprisingly addictive. I was actually disappointed with myself when I forgot to play yesterday. If you have the means to, get it.
So, well over a month since the last post. What's weird, is that I think about the blog all the time. Nearly every morning I hear things from the radio and co-workers that spark my imagination and need to tell others. However, by the end of the day, I simply can't find time anymore to do it (notice that it is very early Saturday morning for this one). More than once I have told myself I have to get in there and at least "check in" as I know a few family members use this for insight into our little branch of the tree. So, I finally got to it. Here it is. W00t!
Cross you fingers for more regularity. There are far too many interesting things out there to talk about to sit on them this long. (^.^)
This topic was on the radio today, but you can find the source from the Denver Post as well. Apparently Denver citizens took a vote to make possession of single use marijuana the lowest priority arrestable offense. Basically, the police literally have to have nothing better to do than bust a guy smoking pot. I am not here to debate whether marijuana should be legalized, rather this idea that we should tell the police what laws to enforce. I am of the mindset that if you don't want the police to bust you for a crime, then you should get the law repealed, not "deprioritize" it. How could this initiative even be enforced? Could a pot smoker go to court, and use a police docket to prove that a burglary call was active when he was busted, so he was not the lowest priority for arrest? Seems ridiculous. Could an arsonist put up a similar initiative? I want to set fires, but you can't arrest me if there are pot smokers out there to bust? Just silly.
In the past few years, Halloween has proven to be a chore. Leading up to the event, the kids seem really excited. When the time came to get dressed, and go out, they crumbled. Sometimes they decided they did not like the costume as we were getting dressed in it on Halloween. Sometimes they found it to be too akward while we were out walking around in it and tried stripping out of it. Sometimes it was just the walking around itself that proved to be too burdensome. All in all we would get about a dozen houses in, and the kids would be unhappy, until we got home and they got to go over all the candy they got.
THIS year, a magical thing happened. Both kids were very happy with their costumes. They chose ones that did not have a lot of extra accessories that made it hard to deal with (although my daughter's hat kept falling off her head, she did not let it slow her down). They almost raced from house to house. Finally it was I who claimed that the night was nearly done and we should start heading back. The kids had actual buckets for candy collection, and they were very nearly full to the brim. They were amped about the fun they had, and eventually got to bed very happy. I still love Halloween, and I am glad my kids finally caught that spirit.
