| Down to the end here :) |
May 30, 2007 1:33 pm
Mood: cheerful, 545 Views |  | Okay well today I spent the day at the zoo hahahaha. Hard to believe but it was a district science meeting that was at the Omaha zoo, sort of like having in-service in heaven.
It was actually kind of fun. We had team competition and about 2/3rds of the time we spent on a math-science zoo scavenger hunt finding out scientific and mathematical facts about different animals, plants or exhibits somewhere in the zoo. The time flew by even though it rained and I got kinda soaked.
It beat the heck out of sitting in dull, boring meetings for 3 hours. Then after that we had an hour and a half long luncheon for a teacher who is retiring from my department. There were probably close to 15-20 colleagues at that.
Then it was back to school for what little work there is left to still do. Tomorrow morning we have a staff meeting in the morning and then the final year ending checkout occurs right after the end of the year staff luncheon.
The only bad thing is that I still have to get up early tomorrow  Ah well after tomorrow I'm all finished for this my third year here at this school.
My son and both of my daughters are arriving in town this weekend for my little brother's memorial service. So there should be quite a bit of activity up until Sunday night when most everyone heads back home. |
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7 Comments | |
| Lunch at Home :) |
May 29, 2007 10:35 am
Mood: contemplative, 382 Views | It is fairly rare that I get the chance but because there are no kids this week, I had time to come home for lunch, grab a bite, check the old mail and all.
Today is easy and mostly am just doublechecking grades, cleaning up, filling out paperwork and obtaining checkout signatures from various people that must sign me out before I can leave for the Summer on Thursday.
It feels like a Monday today and yesterday being Memorial Day, felt like a Sunday. Yesterday when I cooked out, I noticed that they haven't filled the swimming pool yet which surprised me.
I'm thinking that maybe they are having a problem with a leaking pipe or something. I haven't checked to see if the other pool is filled or not? The other possibility is that they are waiting to fill it by June 1st which would be this coming weekend instead of Memorial Day weekend.
Tonight is a karaoke night actually and I kind of miss it because last weekend there was no Friday night karaoke for the first time in a long time.
Well just about time to head back to work so ciao everyone | |
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0 Comments | |
| A Few Thoughts on Memorial Day. :) |
May 28, 2007 9:10 am
Mood: contemplative, 448 Views |  | Hmmmm, well I have two new people to think about or remember this Memorial Day weekend. One is a student of mine who was in my Senior English class. He was on track to be the first in his family to graduate from high school and he had just scored an A on an awesome poetry notebook assignment in my class.
One Wednesday night in November he decided to go to this party at a place that was a little bit dangerous. To make it simple someone did a driveby and he got in the way and was killed. So today my thoughts are on him and his family. The other day at graduation his name was listed as receiving a diploma posthumously from my school. While that is kind, I'm sure it doesn't give his mother or his family a lot of comfort.
On April 28th my little brother died suddenly and due to the recency of the event and the fact that next week we are holding a memorial for him here in Nebraska his death will be on my mind.
Normally today I remember several people that touched my life in some way and I visit their graves and leave flowers if I have the chance. One is a former student of mine named Dawnel who was only 13 when she died suddenly one weekend in April 1988. She was with her older brother at a pizza restaurant playing pinball when suddenly a defect in her heart caused her to collapse and lose consciousness. No one knew CPR and by the time the restarted her heart she could not be revived.
My grandma and grandpa are buried in a beautiful cemetary in Plattsmouth, Nebraska which is about 18 miles away so I often drive out there to leave flowers there.
If I get to Lincoln on Memorial Day I often go out to my dad's grave which is in a cemetary in southwest Lincoln, but this year I won't make it to Lincoln on this weekend.
Here are a few little axioms of wisdom that come to mind for me when Memorial Day comes around:
Treasure people that you love while they are alive because it's a lot better than waiting until they are no longer alive to appreciate them.
Take a few minutes to phone, write, e-mail or contact people that you love and tell them so they know, even if they really do know.
Don't waste time, because you only get so much of it on this earth so the time you waste is one less second of living.
Take the time to appreciate the wonderful things you have, not just your life, but the beauty around you, the love, the happiness.
Don't just make resolutions at New Years or Lent, make a promise or vow to yourself today to enrich someone else's life this year in some way.
Above all, be happy, love, enjoy, but remember those you love and now miss. |
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1 comment | |
| A Small But Enjoyable Online Karaoke Night. |
May 27, 2007 8:15 am
Mood: content, 594 Views |  | Okay last night we had another one of our famous karaoke online parties at the Y. It was a light turnout but it was kind of fun to get together and sing a little and also get caught up on what's been happening.
Ari organized it as usual, but Dawn (Lankagirl), Carolyn (Independent Lady), Sharon (Kismet) and I (Gambiteer) were there most of the night. Dawn was having PC problems but we did get to hear her voice at one point and she got to hear me sing The Gambler by Kenny Rogers.
Sharon sang two songs, Ari sang two songs and after Dawn left I sang We Just Disagree by Dave Mason and Did She Mention My Name by Gordon Lightfoot.
We also laughed, teased, joked and kidded around as we always do. It would have been better had we had more people but it's Memorial Day weekend here so I'm sure many people had plans. |
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7 Comments | |
| Wow A School Year is Over. |
May 25, 2007 1:59 pm
Mood: bouncy, 479 Views |  | Well today the school year (instruction wise) ended. I gave my final in my Junior American Lit. class and the day went smoothly with no problems.
This was overall a pretty good school year although not without its tragedies and challenges.
I lost a student in November to a tragic drive by shooting. My Seniors 2nd semester were much more difficult to work with but all but one of them did manage to come through in the clutch and do what was needed.
My juniors were pretty decent but teaching American Lit. is a challenge due to the rigorous but required curriculum.
More importantly I can now get into my Summer mode here and I will confess that I absolutely love Summer.
Not only can I recharge my batteries but I can also stay up late, sleep late and maybe even do some travel that can't happen during the school year.
I am now going to kick back and enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, even though we have graduation tomorrow and we have to help with that.
Next week we have a work day on Tuesday, curriculum and meeting day on Wednesday and checkout and our year ending luncheon on Thursday.
On Friday my son and daughter are flying into Omaha to attend my little brother's memorial service.
Well now I just have to figure out what I'm doing tonight if karaoke isn't happening? |
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2 Comments | |
| Time to get some.... |
May 24, 2007 1:55 pm
Mood: devious, 566 Views |  | Brucey's Thursday Numerology of course
1-Day left of school with the students.
2-Women that like me a lot right and I really like too.
3-Day weekend and Memorial Day
4-Other women that like me quite a bit and I like quite a bit too.
5-Weekdays before Summer Vacation starts.
6-Number of people I IMed yesterday.
7-Days from today is our last day before checking out for the summer.
8-Days from today I'll be kicking back and enjoying summer vacation woohoo *doing the happy dance*
9-Days from today is the memorial service for my little brother here in Nebraska.
10-Weeks of Summer vacation upcoming and I am so pumped. *continuing to do the happy dance*
14-Number of members of my fantasy discussion group here on FF.
25-Still my age if anyone asks.
131-Current population of Spudville, Idaho after the new porcupine family had quintuplets.
178-Number of members of my Omaha Friends discussion group here on FF.
193-Number of members of my Omaha Friends Part II 2006 discussion group here on FF.
640-Number of blogs I've written here on FF.
2,687-Number of blog comments I've gotten on FF.
32,516-Number of posts I've made to FF discussion groups since Feb. 2004. |
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6 Comments | |
| Friday Nights Free? |
May 22, 2007 9:18 pm
Mood: sad, 569 Views |  | Well it looks like there may not be any more Friday night karoake, at least not for me. As I mentioned a few days ago there has been some political/financial squabbling between the Landslide and the company that supplies the karaoke DJ's.
My best friend and favorite DJ Chris told me tonight that he's not going to be at Landslide anymore, so now my best friend Ronda and my best friend Chris are both no longer there so it's doubtful that I'll be going there either.
I am really kind of upset about it all because I have been going there for almost three years on Friday nights, even before I sang karaoke there on a regular basis.
I don't know what I'm going to do now on Friday nights. Anybody want to come here and go out with me? |
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2 Comments | |
| Bring it On, Last Monday of the School Year. |
May 21, 2007 3:24 pm
Mood: content, 550 Views |  | Okay well today is the last Monday of the school year really. Next Monday is Memorial Day and so we don't even have in service that day. We basically have 3 more instructional days left and one day for final exams on Friday.
I am getting a lot of work done because basically I only have to teach one class a day and that is my American Lit. class. The rest of the day I have all sorts of paperwork to do, such is the life of a special education teacher.
I am lucky because I GET this time to do it whereas my colleagues in the department who are not fortunate enough to have Seniors must teach and find some other time to complete their piles of paperwork.
The next few days should go fairly smoothly and then on Saturday it's graduation. Next week we have to come in to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but it is mostly to straighten up our rooms, do grades, complete forms and whatever else needs to be done before the long Summer begins. |
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4 Comments | |
| Winding Down Here :) |
May 20, 2007 8:29 pm
515 Views | Okay well there is one more week of school with the kids. My seniors are gone now so I only really teach one class all day.
Finals are this coming Friday and the kids are out. Graduation is this coming Saturday and we are all expected to be on duty to help with our senior's graduation ceremony.
We have to come back for three days of meetings and checkout after Memorial Day but really the year is winding down.
It's been an interesting and fairly successful but challenging year. This year I taught American Literature for the first time and although I love the reading lists, American Lit. carries some real challenges, particularly for teaching special education, because here in Nebraska Juniors write a research paper in their Junior English classes and they are also assessed on their writing skills with a state examination, so it is difficult to get in not only the state writing assessment but also the research paper, particularly when we must do it in 18 weeks due to the unique nature of what is called block scheduling.
This year in November one of my best student in my 12th Grade English class was shot and killed in a drive by shooting. This is the first time I've dealt with the death of a student who is enrolled in my classes since 1987-88.
I found out that next year my schedule is going to be way different than it is this year. I am not going to be teaching the American Lit. next year barring a major change over the Summer and instead I will be doing a lot of collaborative teaching in the science department which should be interesting.
They are still giving me my favorite British Lit. class 1st Semester with Seniors so I will not be out of English entirely but I am so looking forward to a relaxing Summer which starts June 1st.
Right now my son and I are planning another Summer jaunt back to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons right after the 4th of July. Last year we couldn't go because he decided to move to St. Louis the week after July 4th. | |
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1 comment | |
| Politics Even in Karaoke. |
May 19, 2007 10:01 am
490 Views | Okay well who would believe that politics are messing up karaoke for me but it is happening. There are basically three kinds of loyalties when it comes to karaoke at least in my case. There is loyalty to an establishment. Once you go to an establishment you begin to know the owners and you feel like you want to buy things from that establishment because you have a positive relationship with them. I have a fairly strong establishment loyalty with my two regular karaoke sites. I have been a regular at my Friday night site for almost three years. Although I have been going to my Tuesday night place only since last November I have come to think of it as a nice establishment as well, one that I want to support when I go there.
The second type of karoake loyalty is DJ loyalty. Once you get to know a DJ and he gets to know you, he knows the songs you like and I have developed a strong relationship particularly with my favorite DJ, Chris that has been DJing on Fridays at Landslide ever since I've been going there is a great example of a DJ that I try to follow even to other establishments because he knows me, he knows my voice, he knows the songs I do best. When he sees me walk in, I don't even need to submit songs, he just puts in ones he knows I do.
The third type of karaoke loyalty is loyalty to the bartenders, waitresses or employees who serve you while you are waiting to sing. I actually started going to the Landslide because one of the ladies who worked there on Friday started teaching at my school, the same year I did and we became friends.
So what is the point? Well suddenly for me anyway these three loyalties are beginning to diverge. My friend that I was loyal to, has quit. She no longer works there.
Last night I found out that the relationship between the bar and the company that supplies my favorite DJ every Friday may be in jeopardy as well as apparently the owner of the bar and the owner of the karaoke company have not been seeing eye to eye.
While I have a three year long loyalty to the Landslide, I would find it hard to continue to go there anymore if they lose Chris. I don't really want to go searching for another establishment to sing at on Fridays but I also don't want to sing to an empty house or see all the regulars that used to come there on Fridays all disappear because Ronda and Chris are both no longer there.
I discovered my new Tuesday night site because I found out Chris was over there on Tuesday nights and I liked the bartenders who are friendly and also very attractive. But I wouldn't have gone there had the karaoke company kept firing DJ's that I had begun relationships with and had gotten to know.
I hope that Chris doesn't quit the Landslide. If he does I will have some hard choices to make. | |
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