All Forgiven

So, for the past 2 years, I have been brooding about my Cardinals losing against the Steelers in the last two minutes of a game. All is forgiven! Thank you Green Bay for beating the Steelers. Thank you for making their quarterback look like an amateur. Thank you for giving them hope in the last two minutes of the game, and then dashing it against the rocks. Thank you for fulfilling the small bit of revenge I had harbored deep inside. I can rest easy!

Now then...back to class work. I started my Masters courses at NAU in January. Since then I have had the following schedule. I work from 6:30 to 4:30 at the school. This includes waking up, getting dressed, yadda yadda. At 4:30, I start to get my materials ready for the next day. I come home and get started on school work, mixed in with house work. This goes from about 5:00 to 9:30, with dinner mixed in. At 9:30, I put away my books and think about the homework that I need to grade. IF I'm lucky, there will be some time during the next days prep to get it done. If not, I will have to let it stack up until Friday, when I plan on being done with my masters courses for that week. This repeats on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday I come home, eat dinner, and go to my church meetings until 8:30. I am the ward secretary and assistant clerk. I come home and post to my discussions, which I actually need to do right now. IF I don't, I will need to read through 70 posts tomorrow, instead of just 35.

On Thursday I do more class work, on Friday I try to finish my classwork, and on Saturday I do my grading, lesson plans, and housework that I didn't get to during the week.

So, if I don't post, I apologize. I have some other stuff on my mind.

Christmas Vacation

I tried to blog the twelve days of Christmas
and couldn't finish the post
I guess that song just can't be finished
as it is longer than most

I taught some attourneys how to use a Smart Board
for the most part they did well
although spending three hours with me
could have been their personal hell

Amy and I had two amazing Christmas dinners
with the parents, Linda, Zach, Elizabeth, and Bill
after having that much food the question must be asked
who will need a stomach pump, I know that I will

I didn't step into the classroom
trying to avoid all of my work
I'm sure that I'll be really stressed out
when an avalanche of stuff results from my shirk

Amy and I went down to the valley
to spend New Years with Pat and the Copes
We had a great time playing games and talking
such a wonderful way to begin a new year with new hopes

So now is the time to get back to work
no more time for vacation, but that is alright
cause in this new year we have a chance to complete
any set goal with all of our might

Happy New Year!

12 Days of Christmas Break Finale

Yeah...I never finish the song either!

12 Days of Christmas Break

On the fifth day of Christmas Break
You would have seen Amy and me
at dinner with my family
being really lazy
looking at Christmas lights
painting stuff for Amy
and watching Tron with my daddy

12 Days of Christmas Break

On the fourth day of Christmas Break
I spent the day inside
being as lazy as I could be
watching Christmas lights in Holbrook
painting presents for Amy
and seeing Tron with my daddy

12 Days of Christmas Break

On the third day of Christmas Break
We went to go and see
Christmas lights in Holbrook
Painting presents for Amy
And watching Tron with my Daddy

12 Days of Christmas Break

On the second day of Christmas Break
You would have found me
Painting presents for Amy
and watching Tron with my daddy

12 Days of Christmas Break

On the first day of Christmas Break
I got to go see
Tron Legacy with my daddy

Lying on the Couch

Don't get me wrong, cause I'm no slouch
but I love to lie here on the couch
I sit and fix my rosters for football fantasy
and ignore the urgent need to pee
for I know that when I arise
my body will no longer believe my lies
of staying here on my couch
and acting like a great big slouch

Alas, the day must start and I must too
for who else will teach in that zoo
I know that I must get up to shower
but every second it is growing harder
cause lying here shares so many joys
I can watch tv or play with toys
and though the clock continues to run
I can't get up, for I'm having so much fun

So now, I post and put the computer up
whine a lot, like a new born pup
get undressed, hey...now we're risque
jump in the shower, no more time to play
kiss the wife and head off to school
start the day, try not to be a fool
and dream of a time when I was acting like a slouch
enjoying my morning, lying on the couch

Villians

I might come off as a little cruel, but I love fictional villians. If I were to play a part in a movie, I would want to be a bad guy. Favorite character in Star Wars has and always will be the stormtrooper. The book that I want to write is actually going to be entitled VILLIAN. When I sit down and watch an action movie, I secretly find myself rooting for the villian. Why do I have this obsession...I don't know! All I know is that I go a little soft for a man/woman who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty and take care of business.

However, not all villians are created the same. There are some who are weak characters...unable to pull of the big heist or crime because they break rules. Now I know what you might be thinking...villians don't have rules, right? Wrong! There are several rules that a villian can not break if they want to do well. As I have nothing to blog about today, I will be discussing one of my favorite villians, and the rules that he broke!



































No villianous list is complete without the original Vader. Darth Vader is one of the most amazing villians in the world. His trick is easilly explained! He makes you root for him. As you go through the movie you begin to realize that there is something behind the mask. Something that makes you want him to succeed. When you find out he is Luke's daddy, you know what is was and then you hope, as Luke does, that he will turn away from the dark side. And, wouldn't you know it, he ends up turning away from the emperor and saving Luke. So, point goes to Vader!

Another reason Vader is awesome...he can use the force. It is your basic X-Man power, lift things with nothing but your mind, strangle subordinates, yadda yadda. His power seems to be unlimited, and when you throw in his lightsaber, you get an even stronger Sith.

Vader doesn't care about his subordinates. He doesn't rely on them to do his dirty work, making him a stronger villian. If they mess up, they die. He uses the previous losers for an example, striking the fear of God into the people working under him. Seriously! Would you mess up at your work if you knew your boss was going to choke the life out of you? Vader has no concern or fear for his subordinates, making him stronger. The Emperor failed in this category. He relied too much on Vader to do the work, leading to his downfall. Vader didn't have that problem, making him a better villian then the emperor.

So, where was Vaders mistake?















LOVE! Villians can not fall in love, be in love, or feel love for anyone. A true villian wouldn't care if his son were being electrecuted. In fact, he wouldn't have a son in the first place. Vader's mistake came because he had something to tie him to the world. Somebody connected him to the rest of humanity, and when you are a villian you can't afford that connection. If there were no Luke or Leiah, Vader would have continued on his path, eventually becoming the emperor himself, and possibly the best villain of all time. But his "Lovely" downfall takes him away from spot one.

So lets review. Vader was an amazing villian. He had power, he had the force, he could chop suey you with his light saber. His greatest success as a villian was his ability to make the audience root for him. His greatest flaw was having a connection to the world, that connection being love. He deffinately makes the top 5 for my list of villians, but he couldn't be in the number one spot because he breaks one of the rules.

Cards Vs. Saints

So...the Saints are coming into town today and I'm going to the game with Bill. Should be awesome...except for the fact that I am wearing my Cardinals stuff and we are sitting on the Saints side. I'm not too worried about it though. I mean...the team name is the Saints. How bad could their fans be? With a few beers in them I'm sure they will mellow right up!

If the Cardinals had any chance of winning, I would probably be in a worse position. They will probably just end up feeling sorry for me.

GO BIG RED!

Time With Dad

After a long hard day, that was kind of bad
I took some time to spend with dad
The tournament went sour and was kind of a "W"itch
so I headed on out to help him fill in a ditch
You see, he has an attitude that cheers you right up
He is fun to be around, like a newborn pup
He inspires you with his jokes and wit
and makes you feel like a number one hit
No matter how bad you mess up his stuff
or how many objects you accidently muff
He smiles and says, "Go play in the street"
Which if he were technologyical, I'm sure he would tweet
because thats the kind of guy he can be
knowing just what to say and do, cheering you and me
I love him to death, and with any luck
I'll get to go and and work with him, in mud and in muck

Thanks Dad!

Chess Tournament

We had an individual in Holbrook this last weekend. Now anytime that I host a tournament, I try to put on a good show...but this one didn't work out as well. I was behind from the get go. I came home and had two things on my mind...get ready for the tournament and do some dishes. As soon as I pulled in I was Bogarted away on another errand from the neighbors...which I don't mind in the least. So, I told her five minutes, got all of my stuff together, and had her hold the soup on the way to drop of her uniform. Of course we hit every bumpy street in Holbrook and she ended up wearing the soup. "It looks like I threw up...Ewwww!" I believe that was the correct phraseology...hilarious.

So we ran the uniform down to the field, dropped neighbor back off, got the rest of the stuff, headed into Safeway and bought the last thing I needed...ice...and headed over to the tournament where the tables were in a different arrangement than I am used to. I started to set up and continued getting texts that kept dropping everyone from the tournament play...so I had to change all of my line-ups like three times.

So the tournament finally starts and we had 8 upsets in the first two rounds. That never happens. In fact, the number one player in the region lost 3 of 5 games. It was insane.

Then one of my players had a chance to take fourth, and ended up losing because he didn't remember to put his notation away in the last five minutes of the game. I was furious!

So...it was pretty bad...and I didn't even mention the fire alarms going off and going to each building to turn them off before the players arrived on Saturday morning, the football game going on at the same time and the fireworks blasting through the rounds on Friday night, or the fact that there are two kids who just don't know when to shut up...every single tournament.

What can you do?

Its Just a Piece of Cloth!

Anytime parents are going to be coming to school, I try to wear a tie. It is professional and shows a little more respect for the parents...kind of like a, "I care enough about your child to put a piece of cloth around my neck."

Yesterday was day one of parent teacher conference, so I wore a tie. In the first 20 minutes, I was told that I looked good, great, handsome...multiple times. I looked at my clothes and realized that I had changed nothing from the normal days that I just work. I had on slacks...that I wear everyday. I had on a dress shirt...that I wear everyday. The only difference was that I had a tie on. A TIE! If I had known that I would have gotten more play wearing a tie, I would have worn one more when in High School.

So I guess Barney got it right. If you want to impress, you have to suit up! Today is TIEFEST 2, as we have one more parent teacher conference, and then we go back to "causual" (no tie) wear. We'll see how it goes.

PS I love irony and turn around! Good Luck Jr. Runners!

I Wonder

So....I wonder if the school realizes that they are paying me to sit around and do nothing right now? Yesterday I got some parent/teacher stuff done in the morning, and then I went back to the classroom and....did something. I don't even remember what I did. I know that I spent part of the day folding wrappers for my starburst chain, and part of the day doing a logic problem...but that is about it. I wonder if they realize I am doing nothing.

On the other hand, everytime I leave my classroom I get more work! People see me in the hallway and have a computer question, or something else to that effect. I run errands, or substitute for people's classes while they are going or gone. It is kind of annoying, but better than sitting around my my tush.

Funny thing that happened...Mrs. Tomlin was teaching about the vikings, and how they came across the waters, pillaged, stole...all that fun stuff, you know. Well, she started talking about the theories of that time, with the edge of the world and sea monsters, and mentioned the Catholic Church persecuting Galileo. Then she asked a short review question, something like, "Who attacked the people in Vinland?" One of the kids responded, "The Catholic Vikings".

Guess I Better Blog

Aight, here is the deal and my official excuse. I haven't blogged because nobody is giving me rootbeer. As the title says, I will blog for rootbeer, and there has been a drought lately. However, in the past week I have been the recipient of two rootbeers. One from Lou during our Glee fest with Kim and Amy, and one from Andrea, my student teacher.

So lets talk about student teachers. They do everything for you...it is really awesome, but I have to say that I am a little bored. Not with Andrea's teaching, she is really, really good. I am bored because for a while she wouldn't let me do anything. I just sat around. Not only that, but now they are telling me that I have to leave my classroom. As laid back as I can be, I am not that person in the school. I am the master of my class, and they are getting rid of the master. It is sad.

But to end that conversation on a bright note, I am happy with Andrea. She does a great job and my year is going by really well.

Today Amy, Kim, and I are going to Flagstaff to eat sushi and do a movie. It is good to have friends who will eat sushi with you. There just aren't a lot of people who like the rolls. I am really excited about going up. It has been a while since Amy and I have had time to get out and do stuff, although we did make it down to the valley last week, and that was awesome.

Amy, Kim, and Alonna are also doing a pie blog...it should be posted. I love it. I get to taste a different pie each week. Score! This is almost as good as marrying a Canadian and getting two thanksgivings.

So, There is my life in a nutshell. My job is going well, my social life is rare, but fun when I have one, and I get excited about food. I will try to blog more as things happen.

Oh, and by the way, I went back and watched Buffy episodes. "I mock you with my monkey pants" is still one of the best lines this century!

ARGGGGGGGGH!

So much to blog about, but I have to keep my mouth shut. I actually started writing in my journal again so that I could at least get it out. It works out pretty well, as I only have one page filled out...from 3 years ago. I am a journal slacker. I really want to fill it out, but I only write at nights and A can tell you that after 8:00 I am useless.

Anywho....I'm a little ticked off right now, not as much as last night, but still a little.

Big Trouble, Little Town

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH! The messenger is always the one who gets shot...what the heck! In my mind, it should be the person who is playing in the fire who should get burned, not the one who warns others that the house of cards may be catching flame. Ah well....what can you do?

School Widower No More

I just had to say how much I appreciate the work and dedication that my wife has, not only for herself but for us. Amy has gone back to school for about two years now, while she continues to work. She maintains a 4.0 GPA and keeps up with her work making herself more and more needed for the people out at the Attourneys Office. She continues to work out on the treadmill, doing situps, and pretty much rocking with her new diet...something that I've never been able to keep up with. And she treats me like a prince, even though I don't give her a lot of reasons to.

Last night at Eclipse, she left the movie for a little bit and came back with the candied almonds that I love so much. I was pleasently suprised. She thinks of little things that will make me happy, and does them without hesitation.

So, wife of mine, I love you! You are perfectly awesome, rocking out everything you do. I am deffinately the reacher!!!














So, Amy has been working on her research paper for the past three days....straight. I've felt a little bit like a widower, as she has usually disappeared into the office during this time. It is lonely, but worth it as she can now relax up until the next semester, and with perfect timing. We have the sisters coming down, somewhere in the Dakotas right now, and we are going to meet them later this week. It should be fun as Amy is really close to her sisters and always has a great time, althought I don't think I'll get a word in the conversations for the next week or so.
Sometimes, when you are surrounded by 5 women, you just have to keep your mouth shut....and listen for plots to destroy your control! ;)

DC Finale

Ahhh the whitehouse, a building with history
Like the time the Canadians burnt it to the ground
So whitehouse number three is what we built here
where bearded tourists can be found














And here we see the bearded man
crossing another spot in history
The Potomac river has been crossed by men I respect
Such as George Washington and Robert E. Lee














Next comes the Vietnam War Memorial
It entombs the names of many brave men
The sacrafice the gave was great
Something that should be respected, both now and then














And last of all, to end the record of our trip
Came the Arlington Cemetary, with graves of white
If you have a chance, visit the tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Take a deep breath, treasure, and remember this site