Thunderbirds cont

Well, today was the day and up until about 1:30 it was VERY cloudy... hence no air show. They graciously flew by about 3 times, but with the cloud cover, I would have feared for their safety - never mind the fact that visibility sucked for those on the ground. So sorry, no pictures today. Maybe next year.

Thunderbirds

Just by luck, on an outing today, we got to see the practice of the US Air Force Thunderbirds for the upcoming USAFA graduation. This is definitely a perk for this area. There were 6 planes in the air, whooshing and roaring by and it was incredible. We sat in a lawn area off of I-25 for about 35 minutes watching ballet done by 6 multi-billion dollar aircrafts. It was so loud, so invigorating, so breathtaking, so AWESOME!!!

If I can manage, I'll try to get some pictures from Wednesday's ceremony, but no promises. If I can't, just watch Top Gun and turn up the TV too loud. It's not the real thing, but it'll get you close.

Men and women from outer space

So, many moons ago, my ex mother in law bought me "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus". During the time of my marriage, I never read it ( me being my stubborn mule of a self) Anyway, I just began it and so far can safely say that I am impressed. The first chapter is talking about communication and handling stress. Parts make me laugh because of it's blatant truth... or at least what I can relate to as truth. Men hide in caves and women talk for freedom. Ok, that is a FAR too small and unfair simplification, but... it's one of the ideas. It says that men seclude themselves to handle the larger problem at hand... to find a suitable solution. Women talk through theirs, going from situation to situation many times in a irrational chronology and rarely stating the underlying problem, so that they can feel cared for while thinking out their own problems. The author does such a better job elaborating on the scenarios, but reading it really made me smile with sympathy. How men and women cohabitate may be one of the natural wonders.

I'll keep you posted if there are any other astounding revelations.

My comfort comes in reading this book earlier wouldn't have changed anything. :-)

Just something funny that came over email

This is just proof that it pays to stay young at heart :-)

KIDS ARE QUICK

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TE ACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________ ________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
____________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
________________________ ________ _______
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No , Millie. .... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_ __________ _ ______ _______________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE: No, sir. It's the same dog.
________ ___________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

Too smart for that

Something was told to me yesterday that has resounded in my head today. A fellow teacher was talking about a senior and her plans for the future. She had mentioned a desire to become a teacher. In doing so, she also mentioned her father's comment to the idea sounding something like," Why do you want to be a teacher?? You are too smart for that?" In conclusion, the student shared that her direction of study has been redirected from teaching to another path.

Another day that same father thanked the teacher for their impact on his child's life?? Are you kidding me? The teacher responded in her head,"Yeah, aren't you glad a teacher who was Summa Cum Laude and accepted to Columbia University impacted your child?"

The gaul to imply that teachers are from a lesser god. There may be a "little" truth in the dictum," those who can't do, teach". But I believe there is a variation to that - "those who can't do, probably can't teach either". Teachers may not all be masters of their field, but many are. That alone doesn't make them a good teacher. They need not only a passion for their subject, but a passion for caring about and teaching students, teaching people. Everyone who has had schooling can differentiate between the teachers who knew little about their subject, the teachers who knew everything about their subject and couldn't teach it, and the teachers who knew their subject and cared about their students' world in addition to their success in their subject. You can tell the teacher who teaches for money and the teacher who teaches for effect. I can easily name at least 5 of the later. Thank you Mrs. Ecton, Mr. Gisriel, Ms. Bell, Mrs. Hendrickson, and Mr. Scherer.

"Too smart to be a teacher?" A better comment may have been "perhaps you should redirect your talents into a more lucrative career." That at least is true, but don't call teachers stupid. Self sacrificing, socially unrecognized, yes. Stupid, some, but don't classify the whole class. There are just as many stupid political scientists, engineers, doctors, and PhD'ers out there too, but they're just better paid for theirs. Teachers get to share their "stupidity" with all posterity.

I don't mean to self glorify, but I do mean to glorify the profession. Tell me how many other jobs that you have to act and sell your product to 12-20 people for 4-5 hours a day, plan 2-3 hours a day to do so, as well as staying informed and caring about the break-ups, suicide status, divorce rate, abusive home, learning disability, financial woes, and social traumas of those to whom your selling your product, not to mention satiating the 15-40 adults associated to them who all know how to better do your job, and the administrations which give you 15 hours of "professional development" responsibilities, overwhelming paperwork, and duties to perform in those hours in which you weren't doing all of the above. yeah, tell me how many people do this for $15 an hour. Who work 50-65 hours weeks and barely get paid for 40. I'll tell you how many, a lot.

No wonder the educational system in America has it's whoas. It's obviously a profession that we all rely on, yet is saved for the stupid.

The man who said that is "stupid" aka ignorant and self absorbed. I'm sure whatever he is doing is "greatly" impacting others at $40+ an hour. Just keep typing pally. Grrrrrrr.

You know you're a band nerd if...

Your action figures look like this...



Luke Skywalker, eat your heart out.

Day of possibility

Oh, this week seems to have been a grand rollercoaster. From professional events to personal ones I was kinda looking forward to this weekend. Yesterday was the capping ceremony for our seniors. It's the time that we read paragraphs about the graduating seniors... paragraphs written by staff members. And the seniors pick a person who they think contributed to their path during high school to place their cap on their head for the first time. This was a really special one for me ( as it is my third to attend) because I was chosen to cap one of my seniors. It came as a geniune surprise, but a truly flattering thing. Band people aren't highly sentimental anyway and the fact that this young man chose me to cap him is nothing short of the BIGGEST compliment I could be paid.

This is that senior, another student, the assistant band director and me at Elitches after a band competition:



After the ceremony, I went back to teach a few classes and then joined some friends for dinner and coffee. It was good.

At coffee, I was asked what I had planned for this weekend. I had forgotten that it is Memorial weekend. I guess everyone has something planned for Memorial day weekend. Well, everyone save me :-). I have some odds and ends to tie up, but nothing pressing. I was heading out to grab a drink and go for a walk when...the best I can say is.. my back went out. I'm too young for this, but it happens sometimes. About 7 years ago, when working, I was told that I lifted something heavier than I should have and that I herniated a disk. It's not dibilitating, except for times like now, when it hurts if you move incorrectly. I am sure this will pass, hopefully within a few hours as it is a very pretty day here, but we'll see. Drugs and staying still will hopefully do the trick here, and hopefully quickly.

Once my back is better, who knows. Anything is possible.

Great expectation - or no expectation

Have you ever had a task set before you and you didn't want to do it?? Yeah, well, that's why this entry exists. I am sitting at my desk avoiding the pressing duties of my job, because they aren't at critical mass yet and.... I don't feel like doing them. Strong rationale, I know. :-(

Anyway, the choir has just completed their final hurrah concert of the year. So much work went into it besides the rehearsal. Our tech guy has had surgery so he's out of commission and the choir takes this performance off site - doubling the amount of technological work needed to be done by non- technological people. Well, the directors and the kids started set up at 7:30 am the day before the concert. They then went to school and rehearsed at the performance site that evening. The next day they performed 2 shows and tore down with the evening concluding maybe close to 11-11:30pm.

Well today I visited the choir director's classroom/ office to congratulate my colleague on a job well done. I had seen the second show with my little guy and, due to trying to maintain a reasonable bedtime, we left before the show was over. So I go to her room only to find her crying. Never good.

She expressed that she was exhausted, which of course annihilates a female's emotional barometer. That and, in the flurry of set up, performing, and tear down, her student's failed to recognize her at the end of the concert. This is a HUGE deal as every year for the last 5 years, the graduating choir students come up on stage at the end of the concert and offer kind words and a gift of gratitude. They aren't prompted to do it, they just do. In fact, they created that precedent. Band kids didn't start that until last year and are still quite awkward at it. ( it's still pretty cool though :-) ) Choir folk are a little more sentimental/ touchy feely that way anyway. Band kids, a high five and a hand shake goes for miles. A hug is like monumental.

Anyway, no such demonstration occurred. Although it's not fair to expect such a display, a precedent had been set and the current seniors notably did not follow suit. She noticed this and is left to wonder why. Rational thought may be that there was too much to do to organize such a thing, or that they just forgot, or the worst scenario, they didn't want to. She doesn't want to be hurt by this, but.... how can she not be. She's human and has invested so much time and effort, and in her case, honest love for the well being of her students. She did all this without the expectation of acknowledgment yet it's absence is felt. What's worse is that other folk commented to her their notice of the absence of a thank you. So she partly insinuated that those people are saying that this class did not "like" her as well as her others. ( there's no real reason to think that) So not only did she notice it, but is was noticed, and worse yet commented on by others.

Being away from it, I can see maybe more than she can right now, but I still know what she is feeling. How do you keep from expecting?? People do what they do for whatever reasons lie within them, but how do you dismiss all need for gratitude, all want of the acknowledgment that someone gives a damn?? And even if it had been done every year for how many years, how do you not be hurt when it isn't once... or twice? Maybe this is how people feel when family forgets a birthday? Perhaps not the best comparison.

Is it really possible to try and have no expectation of others while you hold such great expectation of yourself? Is that even realistic ?? Or is it better just to not ever give a damn? Then what others do or don't do has no meaning..... right?

She'll get over it and I am confident her seniors will acknowledge the meaning of her work and care... of simply of "her" over the next few days. But, I wish they knew how the oversight or absence of intent hurt her now. She has invested so much into them. Time, energy, thought, concern, family invovlement, administrative intersession.....etc.

Oh, what they don't know.....

Tribute to Teachers

This came over school email and is soooo very true... Non teachers read and heed :-)

YOU might be a school employee if you believe the playground should be equipped with a Ritalin salt lick.

YOU might be a school employee if you want to slap the next person who says, 'Must be nice to work 8 to 3:30 and have
summers off.

YOU might be a school employee if it is difficult to name your own child because there's no name you can come up with that
doesn't bring high blood pressure as it is uttered.

YOU might be a school employee if you can tell it's a full moon or if it going to rain, snow, hail....anything!!! Without ever
looking outside.

YOU might be a school employee if you believe, 'shallow gene pool' should have its own box on a report card.

YOU might be a school employee if you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, 'Boy, the kids sure are
mellow today.'

YOU might be a school employee if when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know
and correct their behavior.

YOU might be a school employee if you have no social life between August and June.

YOU might be a school employee if you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce.

YOU might be a school employee if you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce.

YOU might be a school employee if you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the 'lounge.'

YOU might be a school employee if you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling and
are willing to donate the UHAUL boxes should they decided to move out of district.

YOU might be a school employee if you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.

YOU might be a school employee if you can't imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with
Velcro and then requiring uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public.

YOU might be a school employee if meeting a child's parent instantly answers this question, 'Why is this kid like this?'

YOU might be a school employee if you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference.

YOU might be a school employee if you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons...and desks and chairs
for that matter!

YOU might be a school employee if the words 'I have college debt for this?' has ever come out of your mouth.

YOU might be a school employee if you know how many days, minutes, and seconds are left in the school year!

Change - the scary constant

So many things changing, so few brain cells to handle it with.

I thought moving out to Colorado was a big change for me, a big shift in direction, an open door to possibility. Currenlty, there are more big changes in the wind.

For me there is currently a scurry to buy a house. Whether it's a bad decision, good decision, or great decision I can't feel/tell and it's bugging the hell out of me. The market is good, maybe great, but the timing sucks. Me and timing. We are like .... ( can't think of a powerful analogy) we don't jive. That and although I KNOW I need to, settling down permanently has lost a little of its attraction. That and, I fear buying a house like getting married again. I REALLY don't want to get stuck with something that I don't adore. But, if you don't look, you may never find something you adore. And the longer you wait, you may wait yourself out of the possibility of getting something you do adore. Not enough down payment or too many wrinkles :-).

Today I checked out the eHarmony website. I am torn with intrigue and disgust. I never saw myself as needing to go online to meet someone, but I don't think I see myself anywhere specific right now. I wonder if I should have sucked up the bad things and tried to stay married or how long I can hold life together running single. I know I didn't see myself as a single mother because that itself, with all its joys, complicates other arenas significantly. That and I hope I don't get so desperate that I am willing to settle for something less than great due to desperation and fatigue. At this point I may be sold for the first guy that holds my hand without the immediate sign of a design to hold something else. :-) Almost like I may buy the house that I can afford that doesn't have holes in the wall, regardless of all it's other flaws.

The future is foggy at best. There are many feelings that I don't handle well and one of those is the feeling of being stuck. We'll see how all this goes. I don't want to get stuck in a house. I don't want to get stuck in an apartment. I don't want to get stuck in a relationship. I don't want to be stuck alone. Yet, at the moment, I am feeling a little.... stuck.

I need to take action on one or all of these things, but I think I'm going to hide in my work for a little bit. I seem to be needed there, I am fairly successful there, I am appreciated there, and although all plans don't come to fruition, I can psuedo-successfully plan there.

Leave things to chance or take a chance. Is it ever the "right" time or do you just do something and hope it was a good time to do so. And how do you say goodbye to a hope that something would be right??

There's a line that says that you can't hide from your problems, but you have to face them. What that saying fails to address is how do you prepare to face those problems, or do you just learn from the scrapes, scratches, and bruises you get as your problems beat the hell out of you. Is it that you err enough and use all the other bad choices before you try and find the right one?

There's a song lyric " Stand in the place where you live. Now face north, think about direction, wonder why you haven't before" What if you're thinking about it but your compass is spinning around like a merry-go-round? Close your eyes and walk or wait for the nausea to subside and go from there.

I don't know.