Sunday, August 28, 2005

AMAZING BIRD

I'm not a huge fan of "cute" animal acts, but the video of this bird blew me away.

Found on Steal The Bandwagon

WHERE ARE THE AMBULANCE CHASERS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?

Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.

No, that isn't stage directions for a performance of Oh, Calcutta!

That's my The Truth Laid Bear stats in the last week or so.

I've moved from Large Mammal (hey, I know it was a fluke, but it felt GOOOOOD!), down the evolutionary scale all the way to Adorable Rodent. Then back up to Marauding Marsupial.

I'm not sure, but I think the entire Blogosphere has been experiencing the tumultuous upheaval in the same period of time. Heck, even Glenn Reynolds lost ground!

I'm going to lay down and try to recover from the whiplashing I have received. If a few Mimosas don't do the trick, I'm going to look for a Velociraptor of an attorney. Surely, in a world that punishes pharmaceuticals companies for NOT causing someone's death, I can collect a nice wad of money for all my mental anguish.

It's the least our "justice" system can do for me.

NOT TRULY IMPORTANT, PERHAPS, BUT OH-SO FUNNY

I was catching up on my goofing off research - yeah, that's it, research, when I happened upon a blog I hadn't read in a while. I wonder why - he's very good. Today, he is holding forth on people who tell you more about themselves than you wanted to know:
But nowadays the media barrage of all titillation all the time leaves very little that goes without saying, and more’s the pity, I think, since so much of this sort of thing could go without saying and we’d all be the better for it. For a long time in this country you didn’t have to convince people of the virtues of reticence, that private lives are best left private, but the past is another country, as they say—they do things differently there. As with so many other things I loathe, I blame the 1960’s and Sigmund Freud for all of this. Somehow or other Freud got into his head that spilling your psychological guts all over the floor without a mop nearby was somehow or other conducive to promoting good mental health. This, of course, is poppycock raised to the nth degree, but Freud didn’t want to hear that his pet ideas were twaddle. He went on and on and on, yammering day in and day out about gated Oedipus apartment complexes with Electrafied fences in the suburbs and egos and ids ad infinitum and ad nauseam to the brew and it gets truly disgusting, and saying all these ridiculous things in a thick Viennese accent. There are all too many Americans, I fear, who are more than willing to give oddball foreigners and their equally oddball ideas a pass if those ideas come packaged in a foreigner’s somewhat mangled English—how else do you explain the strange fascination with French philosophy and literary theory in American academia since the end of World War II?

The rest of it is just as good - go there.

THIS WAS A SURPRISE!

I assumed that I'd come out as Myrna Loy, or one of those "Good Wife" types.

Katharine Hepburn
You scored 23% grit, 23% wit, 38% flair, and 28% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet.
You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.


Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.




My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 42% on grit
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 57% on wit
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 14% on flair
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 42% on class
Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on Ok Cupid


Thanks to The Sheila Variations, who found the test.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

FINALLY, THE WEEKEND!

I've been working hard - the next person that teases me about the short day of a teacher, I'm going to thrash to within an inch centimeter of his/her life. I was able to leave on Thursday evening with a clear desk. Not last night, however. I didn't worry - on Monday, I have a workshop day in my room, so I'll get there early and tidy up. The bigger issue was scurrying around getting the sub lesson plans ready. It's so much trouble to be absent, I seldom am. But, Monday's absence is mandatory. It should be a good day, since I'll be working with the other Physical Science teachers. We'll have time to coordinate our plans for the rest of the semester.

For some reason, my laptop doesn't want to recognize the shift key (sometimes). So, I find myself seeing that a particular character doesn't show up capitalized, and I have to backtrack, delete, and use the Caps Lock to get it right. Yet, othertimes, like now, it works fine. I hate intermittent problems. They can be a real bear to solve, since they never seem to reproduce when the tech guy is looking at the computer.

Since I'm experiencing some issues with the network (it sometimes cuts out), I'm writing this post in steps, saving drafts every so often. I've had a few posts that were great (IMHO), but got lost when they failed to post, or the power flickered. Maddening!

I've been seeing a local tree with brightly-colored blossoms - usually hot pink or fushia. I asked a local today, and it's called a Crepe Myrtle (see below). It's quite pretty, and gives a refreshing spot of color to the landscape.



I just checked CNN online, and found that:
Nearly 1,000 detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were released this week at the request of the Iraqi government, Multi-National Forces said Saturday.

That should start some chatter in the blogs.

Cindy Sheehan is still in the headlines, saying:
she plans to expand her focus to Congress, starting with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Bush ally and fellow Texan. "The president is not going to meet with us, probably," Sheehan said. "We the people need to influence our congressional representatives."


The part that got to me was "The president is not going to meet with us, probably".

Oh, you THINK? After all those histronics, you THINK PROBABLY he won't see you?

Can't imagine why he wouldn't want to meet with the woman who has publicly accused him of being a killer.

NARAL, after a brief pause to heal from having shot themselves in the foot, is back.
The new ad, featuring smiling families and an American flag in the background, emphasizes a phrase in a 1981 Roberts memos: the "so-called right to privacy," and points out that he co-wrote a government memo saying the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion was wrongly decided.

"There's just too much at stake to let John Roberts become a decisive vote on the Supreme Court," the ad says.

The new ad will run on CNN and during cable programming in the Washington, D.C. area. NARAL says it is using part of its $500,000 slated for the original buy to pay for the new ad.

HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!

Where are they getting the money? The don't have the membership they used to. I just checked the annual report, and their campus e-newsletter is going to only 1,000 subscribers. You can't count the numbers of literature printed up as an indication of the interest in their organization - many of those will be trashed as junk - to be fair, just as all advocacy literature is.

In their 2003-2004 annual report (the latest one I could find on their site), they brag about the many pieces of literature they have distributed on college campuses - over 200,000. How many of those landed in the nearest receptacle?

They claim to have "made contact" with 12 million voters in 2004, to influence the election. They claim to have been able to "mobilize millions of voters". But they state only that they were able to "mobilize thousands of volunteers".

You do the math. Less than 10,000 volunteers, 12 million voters. So, they're taking credit for each volunteer reaching more than 1,200 voters?

I think that's why the NARAL group isn't making more headway against the "anti-choice" forces - they're tuckered out from the election frenzy of activity.

Go to the NARAL Pro-Choice site, download the report for yourself. Just before the Financial Overview (p. 17), there's a picture of a young woman holding up a sign stating:
I'm marching today so my children won't have to
Um, right. If you kill them off today, they won't be alive to march later.

The income statement is the tell-tale sign. In 2003, they only brought in 4.6 million. Yet, in 2004, they show 11.5 million dollars in income in the field of "Membership dues, contributions, and bequests". Unless a lot of old folks kicked the bucket, or the membership drives suddenly had a LOT more success, that sounds as though they got a few Mr./Ms./Dr. Moneybags to pony up some lucre. I can't believe that they will find endless rivers of cash every year, so the organization may be nearing the end of its effective life. After all, it took over 6 million to raise that pot of gold.

like ee cummings

i started a post today. it was going well. i even remembered to save periodically. but, i encountered a problem. can you guess what it was?

i can't always (or mostly) get the caps to work. if anyone can figure out the problem, let me know. it's the laptop, so i'm hoping it's not a hardware issue (although it probably is). I'm fine sometimes. Which makes me suspect that i have to try cleaning out the keyboard. Hope that helps.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

WORKING HARD ON A SUNDAY

I've been preparing for an examination next month, so I don't have a lot of time to blog. I just set up the laptop on the dining room table.

I found out why I was getting lousy Internet service. Candy moved the router under the desk. When I moved it to the desktop, it worked fine.

I'm finally posting again. I put a lot of pictures on the family blog, and have begun posting on the Technology in Teaching blog again (now that I'm back to work). I'm going to try to remember to take more pictures of the area I'm living in, and post about once a week.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

KICKING BACK WITH WIRELESS

I'm not setting' on the veranda (I really don't know what a veranda is), but I'm disconnected from the main computer. I've gotten back my wireless (and I did it myself this time). I'm so proud of myself.

I just returned from yoga. It was an introductory class; don't know if I'll continue. I'll have to wait until I try to get out of bed tomorrow - if I start clenching my teeth in agony, I may try to find some other way to get in shape. But, it was relaxing, and fun.

I'm at the end of my first week in teaching for a while. It was mostly good, some excellent, and only one truly hairy moment. Tomorrow is the football game, my first in town. I understand that the games are a big thing, so I'll try to go to at least a few.

My major time efforts for the next month will be spent preparing for the Praxis II. Since I'm new to SC, and I never took it, I have to pass the Physics, Chemistry, and General Science test - 120 questions. Another teacher in the building and I are going to work like mad on the Chemistry - it's been over 35 years since high school Chemistry, and over 15 years since college chemistry.

Here's a picture of a South Carolina sunset - they're not all like that, but it IS a beautiful state.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

UPDATE ON MY MOVE TO THE SOUTH

I've sort of settled in, and am beginning to feel at home (as much as I can without my husband and family). Although the weather is REALLY hot (in the 90s most days - apparently, there's something called the heat index, which acts like an inverse chill factor), my asthma has markedly improved. I'm also eating less junk food, and walking more, so my clothes are fitting looser.

I'm enjoying teaching again. Even without all my stuff and equipment, I've been improvising, and get a real kick out of making science concepts clear to the kids. Today, it was density - I used kitty litter and rice as the materials we tested. Tomorrow, I'll have them test salt water and fresh water.

I'm going to be very busy over the next month. I have to take the PRAXIS test in Chemistry, Physics, and General Science in the middle of September. I've heard that the test is a bear. I'm just going to hunker down, review as much as I can, and try to shore up my weak spots (primarily Chemistry, but also some topics in Physics).

Pray for me.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

NOTHING COULD BE FINER...



I'm here in South Carolina, working at a local high school, finally teaching science full-time for the first time in a while. The weather has been stormy, which has kept it cooler (still pretty hot and muggy for a Yankee girl), and keeps the bugs from driving me crazy. The people have been very welcoming, and I'm cautiously optimistic.

On the other hand, I miss my husband and family very much.

I arrive Tuesday night, after driving for almost 11 hours. The storms followed me from WV, all the way down. I spent today driving to the nearest big city, to buy school supplies and a few personal items. Viewed from inside an air-conditioned car, it's a beautiful state. I'm in the section called the Lowlands, which means don't even THINK about digging a basement.



Some friends have been generous with their house, and I'm temporarily settled in. I'll be looking for a more permanent place over the next month. It can be small, because my husband may not be able to join me until later this year.

Monday, August 08, 2005

WITH THE GRANDKIDS

I'm babysitting today. I'm using my SIL's computer, and the keyboard space bar sometimes sticks. You have to hit hard when it does. So, if I type somethingthatlookslikethis, you'll know what it is.

The kids are great - the youngest is 5 months, and learning to crawl (I think that's the one where they hoist their butts in the air, but only use their forearms in front - it makes him look like combat infantry). The wild one (2 1/2) is watching SpongeBob. The oldest one is pretty self-sufficient. In fact, he's a big help with the others.

I should be hearing from SC today. Once I do, I can begin making decisions. Just in case, I haven't unpacked my suitcase. I also made a list of things I need to round up. I'm very ambivalent about the notion of moving. The uncertainty is the worst.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

MAJOR CHANGES IN PROGRESS

I finally arrived late last night in Cleveland. The flight was long enough that my legs had started their restless dance beneath my seat. It's a combination of twitchy muscles, fluid rentention due to immobility for long hours, and an increasingly desperate urge to pee.

I had fun waiting for my daughter to pick us up. You see, there are often drivers who linger in the no loitering, pick-up only lane. They sit in their car for LONG periods of time, rather than do what the considerate people do - cruise slowly, looking for their people, and, if they are not right at curbside, leaving and circling around to scan again. If you stop, you're taking up scarce spots, and forcing others to double-park. It jams up the whole process, and makes accidents likely. During the day, the cops enforce the no stopping policy. They generally fine the cabs who try it.

But this was night, and no cops in sight. So I got creative. I used my digital camera to take pictures of the license plates, and of the drivers. I'll be posting them later today - see if you recognize anyone.


I started to post the above. Totally forgot to mention the changes.

I may have a job offer in teaching. Out of town. REALLY out of town. In S. Carolina.

I'm going to call the principal later today. Once he's had a chance to wake up. I heard about it from a friend at PTRA. And, apparently, he's well known enough by people at school that they would hire on his recommendation. Because school starts THIS WEEK! So, I would have to pack, travel, and start work BY WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY! The friend was generous enough to offer me the use of his guest room until I get settled.

The way I figure it, there's no way the school system will be hiring now - BBB is resigning, and all the upper-ups will be running for cover. They will be afraid of making any decision that endangers their job, or spending money. The voters spoke again, loud and clear. Last November, the voters shot down a school levy by 60%. Last week, in an election specifically scheduled to reduce turnout, they repeated their displeasure with the administration of the schools by turning it down again - 65% negative.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

SOME RANDOM, LATE-NIGHT THOUGHTS

I must confess, it isn't currently late here in Salt Lake City, but I've been mulling around about this topic since the pre-dawn hours last night.

My family is quirky. Not my present family (my children might strenuously disagree), but my birth family. My mother seems, to me, to have been the only reasonably normal one in the group. True, she was given to bursting into pop songs of the 40's and 50's at the drop of a hat, and she did have a fondness for hot pink and fuschia, but, altogether, she was on the sane side of the psychiatrist's couch.

My dad, an Appalachian who escaped small-town life as soon as he was able, was passionately interested in a variety of topics - true crime of the 30's, astronomy, politics, alternative origin theories, etc. He was tremendously UN-interested in primetime TV, lawn care, barbeques, and sports. He fought a lifelong battle with serious depression, a battle my mother's lighthearted nature was an effective counter-balance to.

All of us were voracious readers. I enjoyed murder mysteries, logic puzzles, and long, classic books. My brothers leaned to fantasy fiction, science fiction, and adventure. My sister flitted from one genre to another. We were competitive players at Monopoly, cards, and other games.

My poor mother had to wonder whether they switched babies at birth. None of us shared her sunny disposition (alas, my father's tendency to gloom appears to have been hereditary), her enjoyment of pop culture, or her sociable nature. We were bookish, naturally solitary, and prone to cranky outbursts of temper. None of us cracked the code of getting along with people until well into middle age.

I'm glad we grew up when we did. In today's environment, I feel confident that we would have been diagnosed, dosed, and had our quirks ironed out. I don't know that we would have been better off.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

I'M ONLINE AGAIN

Life is good:

  • The weather is cooler here in Utah than it was in Cleveland the week before we left
  • My son-in-law called, and he has a contract job, starting Monday
  • My breathing continues to be good - the change in medication has apparently been just the thing my asthma needed.
  • This working vacation has been incredible - the workshops are interesting, and the change in scenery has been refreshing

    and, best of all,

  • I'm online again!


The only thing that is bothering me is that I generally don't have time to see a paper or catch the news. So, I'm really out of touch. I only found out today that Bolton got a recess appointment.

MORE PICTURES

Here is the view from Salt Lake City, Utah

Posted by Picasa

Click on the title link to see more pictures of our trip.

Monday, August 01, 2005

HAVING A GREAT TIME, IN NO HURRY TO LEAVE

The weather is intermittently rainy, the altitude is causing a certain amount of fatigue, and the beds are in the dorm, and predictably lumpy - but I'm having a wonderful time.

Yesterday, I built a number of devices to use in the classroom (Make & Take workshop). Today, I learned a method of quickly checking student understanding of concepts (Ranking Tasks in Physics).

The food is good, and I'm getting a lot of exercise walking around a very large campus. Let's hope I can maintain my weight loss - some years it's difficult.

Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...