Free at Last, Free at Last!

I apologize for the way things went down, but really, it is the way it had to be.
I don't have children, I have a collection of toasters, one robotic vacuum, and a goldfish.

For the last few years, I have been the source of refuge for the lost and the homeless... The fish that were left behind...
Taking on a huge plecco, a strange little tetra, and a pair of rainbow sharks...

It seemed strange to me, how concerned the owners were with the wellbeing of their former pets. It also seemed odd that their attachments would appear to run so deeply, and yet not somehow persuade them to take their little dependents with them.
The former owners would drop by, call, and do all sorts of things to reassure themselves that the little creatures were doing alright and having a happy life...
Leaving me with the added responsibility and guilt if I did less than a perfect job of changing the water and feeding them on a regular schedule...
At any rate, it is a well know fact that I can't keep houseplants alive, so it should come as less of a shock that I assumed all of my little refugees would not be long for this world.

I spent way to much time worrying over a pastime that boasted its ability to calm and relax, and spent large amounts of money all in the hope that my little guys wouldn't be miserable.
During all this time, all the upgrades and concern I noticed that there was a bit of a conflict forming in my tank..
The rainbow sharks were eating my goldfish, and the poor little guy couldn't do anything to get away...
I spent way too much time shouting at the little sharks, wishing they would leave my favorite fish alone...
I threatened to blend, hit, flush and burn the little critters each chance I saw them, and wished there was a simple way out...
I knew I would feel bad just killing them and with no one to turn to I scanned the Internet for a way out.
I read the posting guidelines for craig's list and saw that there was a clearly outlined no free pets parameter of the site...
So I posted that the two evil rainbow sharks would be available to the first person who could tell me a joke and show up with bucket in hand.
The lady who showed up turned out to be the joke, and happened to be an avid collector of lost fish and particularly loved rainbow sharks..
She said that she has a few that are about the same size and that they will probably begin schooling together within the week.
I knew I had the right lady when she started asking me about the PH level of my water and if they would be apposed to the possibility of soft water conditions.
She could tell by my blank expression that I had no clue about what she was referring and that she was lucky they were even alive to be taken...

I did a little research and the goldfish's fins should recover in the next few months...
Hope it all goes well...
Josh, I am sorry for abandoning my charge, but they are in a better place where they will be loved far better than I would...
The Plecco is doing fine... He is gigantic and scares everyone who sees him. You'd be proud.

Newton the Newt At Blue River Reservior

The Yarn Ball is Orange

What Next

So this whole month has been a bit of a fiasco at the Gardner House...
I have returned home many times this week to find the little world I have called my own turned upside down with little forewarning.
First they sawed down a tree in my back yard, then they took away my picnic table, then they took away the sidewalks, leaving me to jump over caution tape and walk through wet cement to get to the laundry room and check my mail, now we have all been told to vacate the parking lot so new asphalt can be lain down, in the mean time they have taken down many of the bows of the large trees that shade the back of my home, unleashing millions of displaced beetles to fill up my house, land in my coffee, and cover every available surface.
Now I walk out my door onto my gravel walkway to find the only dumpster in the lot is missing and half of the complex is hastily painted green...

I think someone is playing a joke on us, and feel like I might be the newest unwilling contestant on a lovely show called Boiling Point.

What is it going to take to get a discount in this place...

FLight of the Mosquito

I thought that this picture was particularly interesting. I liked the way that without knowing what was really going on, it was definitely open to interpretation.
It looks like a small child who has heard enough and might be receiving a talk on a variety of topics, be it his constant leaving of toys on the floor, to his father trying to get him to focus on what he wants to be when he grows up and being more goal oriented.
But in fact, this simple moment was of a father explaining all the wonders that were around in the view of the lake. He was telling his son about how all the mountains and the crater itself were formed by geological events and the volcanos that fill the surrounding area.
I liked seeing the animated way this parent took the time to demonstrate the creation of crater lake, complete with wide gestures and the sounds of explosions. So simple and effective, even a small child could understand.




This little critter was one of many tiny visitors that we encountered on our trip. I was happy to see a little beetle on the windsheild, as apposed to the millions of mosquitos that were actually in the car with us.







Yesterday a short drive turned into a three hour tour...
Back to Crater Lake, and the infamous swarms of "Glacial Mosquitos".
Having been away from the park for months, enough time had elapsed that I had forgotten about the epic swarms of bugs, in tidal wave numbers.
Upon paying the fee and passing the gate, the attendant in the booth called, "Enjoy your park!"
I didn't realize that she must have been joking or issuing a dare, cause it is all but impossible to enjoy anything when you are being eaten alive and running for your life with camera in hand...
At one point, we tried to stop in the section of the park that boasts a gorgeous display of wild flowers...
The last time we had been visiting the flower garden had been under repair and out of bounds for visitors. So seeing as it is summer, we thought we would take a moment to survey the scenes and see if we could check it out and make up for lost time.
No sooner had we left the car and begun ambling down the winding path across a little brook than we found ourselves once again under attack from above.
I took the opportunity to come prepared with park brochure in hand, fearlessly smacking my companion in the head repeatedly to save his life.
Truthfully, I think hitting my companion with a rolled up newspaper is definitely the highlight of my journeys to Crater Lake and probably the major element of motivation to take on such a long drive.
So to summarize, the glacial mosquitos are out of hand and I think a well timed fire might just be in order...
The park is definitely in on the whole thing and is probably breeding the evil creatures in a lab and unleashing them on a daily basis to justify their $14 bug repellant that I am sure is made on the spot...
By the time you get back into the car and realize that you aren't safe from the little stowaways that have highjacked their way into your car and are feasting on you and your friends as you frantically try to find the next gift shop to end your suffering, $14 dollars sounds like a steal and you can't get your credit card out fast enough to make it stop.

So again, I love nature, I hate bugs...
Unleash the Bats, and let the battle begin.

Funny Story

Well not really,
didn't mean to get your hopes up there...
I know lots of funny stories, none of which I can post here...
But another time, back to the point...

So I mentioned that my morning was something of a project...
It starts with me and my minor eye irritation, depriving me of sleep and unleashing me onto the Internet to search for the latest ailments and life threatening illnesses that match my symptoms...
This in turn, leaves me to dialing the wellness clinic's appointment line on speed dial repeatedly until someone finally decides to take my call...
Upon hearing my request for an appointment, the receptionist apologizes and says that since they are a little short handed today, the only person who is available to see me is Courtney, and asks if that is alright...
I immediately respond with, "Anyone but Courtney, I've heard about her... anyone but Courtney!"
I just thought it was funny that when calling a doctor's office, to have the receptionist try to talk you out of coming in and apologizing for the only working doctor on staff being less than desirable...
After walking in the door and being greeted by nurse Chuckles, and guided to room six, I instantly realized why they had tried to persuade me to take a different practitioner...
Yes, it turns out that Courtney was the very same doctor that had previously made such astute observations as: "It looks like you may have been wearing a V-kneck lined shirt" "That may be a blister, or a pimple, I can't tell" and "There is no end all be all medication for sun burns" and of course the infamous detailed description of how to make an ice cube that took 20 minutes... That by far was the most helpful...

So yes I was less than thrilled to see my favorite hospital helper back in front of me...

I was particularly nervous about the combination of maladies that Bullwinkle would be treating today... I knew that one thing needed soothing eye drops, and the other was to be burned off with Nitrogen and prayed to God that she didn't mix them up...
Either way, I was just hoping to get out a live as usual...

So we have a small discussion about the latest issue, being the debris in my left eye that drug me out of bed at such an early hour in the first place...
She mentioned that if I had the slightest concern that there might be something that could have scratched my cornea that we should be on the safe side and go through the procedure to check it out...
This of course I totally agreed with...
So she tells me the plan and seems a little excited to get it all underway...
She pulls out a vile and says that she needs to numb my eye before dying it with fluorescent orange dye and blinding me with a black light at close range... She warns me that the numbing drops will burn like hell and to brace for impact...
Then while I am blinking in pain, she sets to the task of attempting to turn on the black light that must not have been removed from it's special box since it was last needed in the sixties.
Ten minutes of probing and poking with q-tips and flashlights, and oozing orange dye our of my eye like a statue of the Virgin Mary, she tells me I am fine and says that she will be prescribing a treatment of antibacterial ointment to help prevent infection...
The funny part is that before I went over, I did some research on the treatment of scratched corneas...
Guess what it is...
That's right, that very same antibiotic ointment...
So basically she would have given that to me either way, and there was no real point in all the torture since the treatments would have all been the same...
Good times...
Next time they tell me the only one working at the snack bar is Courtney, I am taking a rain check.

Weekly Update

Good times had by all,
This week I had the opportunity to visit the Country Fair with Autumn and her family.
It was a perfect day, with plenty of sunshine and events to fill the afternoon.
Autumn and I got into the fair with work passes before all the crowds showed up. It is a totally different experience to be behind the scenes and see the whole event for what it is, without the huge groups of people.
The first event we hit up was a poetry slam group from Eugene. There were about 8 acts that went in turn sharing their work. The highlights included a man who did a Shakespearian rendition of a tale of love lost on account of Ninja Chipmunks and zombie crows, complete with theatrical death scene.
He was the best part for me...
And on a side note, there happened to be a pair of signers who joined the event to translate the poetry as the presenters went along.
I learned that one of the longest words to sign is Jellyfish...
I heard about how Jason Webley had messed with the poor signers during earlier fairs, by ending every statement with the word jellyfish... just to slow them down.

On another note about signers... God love them...
I had one unusual observation while watching the poetry slam events...
During one poet's contribution, one the female form, I noticed the signer doing overtly obscene gestures, licking her lips, and flicking her tongue in a seductive manner at the other signer...
I only looked at the signer in the first place to avoid looking directly at the speaker who was telling such a graphic story in the first place...
This lead me to wonder if there is a second component to signing that helps to portray the speaker's tone and intent...
I guess understanding how a story is meant to be interpreted is just as important as the content, I just found the additional flurishes were definitely off putting and a little on the strange side...
I wondered how the 10 year olds in the front row next to the signer felt about the whole scene...
That and it seemed as though the only people in the audience who could interpret the signals where the signers themselves... Who is to know what they were actually talking about...
Like Star Wars, translated into Japanese and then back into English again.

After the fair, our crew headed back out to the car, hoping to beat the rush of people making their exits in a similar fashion, only to realize that the battery was dead and wouldn't start.

The brilliant group of young adults that I was with put their heads together and quickly came up with many fantastic plans to remedy the situation... Ending with me finally flagging down a fair worker with a radio and getting a OCF van to show up and jump the car.

Initially, as I went out on my mission to flag down strangers and enlist the assistance of others I assumed that the rest of the kids in my party were doing the very same thing. I thought of the embarrassment I would experience upon eliciting assistance and finding that the car had already been revived and that my team had just been waiting for me so we could leave... This was not the case...
I walk over to the car to inform them that help is on the way, only to discover all of my comrades lying on the ground almost under the car in search of shade from the sun overhead. They had pretty much given up and just accepted their fates....

Glad to know that in the case of emergencies, my team is a solid crew that bands together when things get tough and really applies themselves when it counts...
Or at least they were smart enough to stay with the car and not wander off into traffic...
After seeing the display of heroism I am just surprised they didn't manage to get run over by a horse while wandering around aimlessly.

So disaster averted, and back on our way.

Hotdogs on a Monday Morning

When I was a kid, living in Bandon, there was one thing that I would look forward to each time we got in the car and started driving south of town. It was a little country store in the center of Langlois. The store was the only major sign of life in the heart of a tiny town and it boasted on item on it's menu that drew people from all around: the famous Langlois hotdog. Over a million had been sold over the years and it was a main attraction for many from up and down the coast.

Even in the years that I have lived in Eugene, I have made new friends based only on this simple treat.
I once visited a small bar on campus and soon found that when people inquired as to where I was from, their immediate response was, "Is that near Langlois?"

Being close to the 4th of July I have been stricken with the amazing urge to track down a hot dog of a similar caliber in my own town and wondered if such a place existed.

This quest lead me to a small hot dog shop on 17th and Pearl called Dog in a Box.
I did a little research before heading out on my mission, and found that this little shop has at least ten kinds of hotdogs and sausages hot and ready each day by 11 am.

When I walked through the door I was greeted by the owner who was standing at the ready, waiting for the latest passerby to stop in. The shop was covered in posters of famous jazz musicians and the familiar red and white walls with checkered black and white tiled floors like a soda shop out of the 50's.

It really seemed like something out of a movie about summer. They had it all, chips, sodas, sauerkraut, potato salad, chips, even ice cream.

I was sad to think that on account of the location, the shop might not get as much business as it should and wished that I had known about it when my dad had come out to visit earlier in the year.
Dad, I really think you would have liked this place, and the next time you need to renew your license, or just feel like a 12 hour plane ride, it will be well worth the trip.
Breakfast of champions and the cornerstone of any nutritious meal: hotdogs.

Captain's Log

I taste blood.

Have you ever been sitting next to a complete stranger, attempting to keep up with conversation, while simultaneously attempting to separate a sub-zero temperature popsicle from your face?
Well I have, and it was no small feat.
Apparently I was in the right place at the right time for snack distribution, and among various treats, including candy bars and cupcakes, they were also giving out strawberry popsicles as a pick up for the waiting guests.

I was thrilled when I started seeing the familiar wrappings of one of my favorite frozen treats, and waisted no time in acquiring one of my own.

Little did I know, that in order to keep these concoctions in their frozen state, that the powers that be had put them into some cryogenic chamber complete with what I can only guess must have been dry ice.

Soon after attempting to take the first frosty bite, I was instantly informed that I had made a terrible mistake and had cemented the treat to my face.

This was not however, apparent to the person I was previously talking to, who went on to ask me questions about my line of work and the tasks I was in charge of.

I made every attempt possible not to give away my embarrassing predicament, and in between drooling profusely, while trying to plan out an exit strategy, I did fairly well in responding nonchalantly.

Finally, after giving up on all attempts at avoiding injury, I gave in and just focused on freeing myself from the frozen demon. After all that I was in instant pain and immediately looked up to see that everyone who had made the same unfortunate mistake as me was in a similar situation.

The room filled with people glaring at their chosen treats and digging for pocket mirrors to help assess the damages.

I was lucky, I only lost a little skin and the better part of my taste buds, leaving me with the unsatisfying taste of blood and nothing to show for it.

I finally solved the puzzle by stealing a water cup and dunking the arctic treat into water before making any other ill planned attempts at consuming the thing.

The popsicle came in handy, soothing my latest injuries.

You learn something new every day, and I will be wiser if ever the situation presents itself again in the future.

On other notes, I had a nice time at the day's activities and made my way to the convention center with plenty of time to spare.

I did find that after a long day of meeting new people and mulling about that the tiny laptop I had brought soon hung like lead from my shoulder, causing continuous pain and dragging me down, leaving me to find any excuse to put it down like the nagging child it had become.

I am hesitant to bring it with me, and am even considering reviving the long dead art form of note taking with a pen and paper to help cover all the new information and contacts, though I know that would not be the best for helping me to remember all the fantastic tools I will be introduced to in the coming week.

The last event of the day was a keynote presentation by the leader of our convention, and a special guest who was formerly the head of the World Bank.

The arena filled to the brim with excited new faces all waiting to hear from our leaders. After the introductions had been made and the awards for various accomplishments relating to the technology field had been doled out, oru key speaker took the stage.

I was curious as to how his background would relate to the integration of technology and the different strands we were trying to help be incorporated into teaching, but I was excited to find out.

After the show began, I became increasingly confused as to how the topics under discussion were going to relate back to the topics at hand and as the performance went on, I finally realized that there wasn't going to be any.

The presentation was on a series of important topics relating to global issues that need to be addressed in the near future, and our need for a unifying team that will take on the task of enforcing our goals across the globe. The issues that were covered ranged from the depletion of forests and over fishing, to emission levels and our dependency on other consumable resources, such as oil, water, and food.

I admit that with such a large group of people in attendance, it was nice to know that the message was being heard loud and clear from participants around the country, but I wish the connection between helping students to become involved and concerned about the choices being made would have been stronger.

Knowing about the issues is one thing, but helping students to get involved is another, and I would have liked to have heard more about the different steps and programs that were being implemented with that goal in mind and the kinds of projects students were creating.

There will be an exhibition of student work that we will be able to see throughout the conference, and hopefully that will fill in the rest of the gaps for me.

So the lesson of the day kids is... don't eat a popsicle strait out of the cart without a glass of warm water and a pair of tongs.

The Road To...

Oh My Goodness, did I have the day from hell…
After getting all my ducks in a row and making my way to the airport, getting through the open threats on the number of bags you can carry, and listening to the crazy woman complain about her lost toiletries, I finally made it through all the thunder storms, the insanely large airport, to the bench under the budget sign. After watching numerous shuttles pass by every minute from the competitors, I finally made it to the rental agency, to be greeted by an hour long line and a bag of chili Fretos, which would be my only meal for the day.

After making it through the gauntlet of people waiting for the four assistants behind the desk I encountered some new issues and events.

To make my trip more valuable and not to miss out on the major events that were to take place on Sunday, we amended my reservation to include Saturday. We just added an extra day to the bill and I was told that since it was reserved through Expedia, that I would need to put the small fee on my own card and be reimbursed when I return home. Sounds simple enough… Not if you are talking to the guy I got.

He takes my credit card and lisence and looks at the screen. He informs me that since the two reservations are being paid separately, I will need to return the next day to re-check out my car. I explained that we had arranged the purchase ahead of time and had been told I would be signing two separate rental agreements at the same time and that I would just return the car on Wednesday on my way out of town.

A simple arrangement turned into a straight out screaming match, with me trying to keep my cool at each turn in the conversation. After giving in to the ridiculous terms of having the car for a matter of hours and needing to return again, only to stand in line just to get the same keys handed back to me, the evil man inquired if I would like to get the additional insurance. I asked if the additional insurance had been purchased for the other dates that had been arranged and he said that they had not, so I said I didn't want it.

From there he went on and on, insisting that I needed the insurance. I explained that I was perfectly covered by my school's insurance from being on a business trip and my own. He insisted again… So basically I said "no" quite clearly around 5 times, and each time he shook his head and said that I really needed it.

Finally I gave up and asked how much it was… In an inaudible tone he mumbled a number that could have been anything, so I asked again… He printed out my bill and I looked at the charges, and said, oh sixteen dollars, that isn't too bad. He immediately corrected me, fifty three dollars…
So I finally made it out accomplishing nothing and in a complete haze as to my whereabouts in this state that I have never seen before.
I watched as the helpful woman at the next kiosk cheerfully handed her patrons maps and helped them with their journeys. I asked my guy for a map and he wandered around as if the request was out of the ordinary and through off his concentration.

I know the line is long and that people are waiting, but it doesn't do me any good to be in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere with no clue where the freeway is.

So I head out to the car and give the latest report to Mandi, the one who made the reservations… She calms me down and explains that I need to call the 1-800 number and get the ball rolling, lucky for them it was past their usual hours of operation and there was no one to hear my story.

So I head back in and Bullwinkle seems surprised to see me back in line. Mandi told me that there should be two forms and that it was all set up so I made my way, since I had nothing better to do.
As I reached the front of the line I hoped that I wouldn't be paired with Grumpy Bear a second time.
Thankfully I was matched up with the smiling map girl from earlier. I mentioned my problem and she said that it would be no problem to fix. Of course she was a trainee and needed to ask for help in setting the final changes… That is when Grumpy Bear came back on the scene, yelling at me and telling me that I needed to come back and that there was no way around it. I explained again that I was going to be at the convention center all day and that there was not a convenient time to drive an hour out of my way after a long day of classes and networking…
From there I saw Grumpy storm off to his manager and yell quite clearly (for the first time in our dealings, as all other attempts at speech had resulted in garbled consonants that couldn't even clarify billing questions) that he didn't know of any conferences that went past nine o'clock at night…
I was really upset after that one, implying that day or night I should find the time to drive back to the boondocks to put an X on a line and drive away again.
And for the record, though he may find it unfathomable that a conference will go late into the evening, I do not and have even gone as far as to sign up for classes that go till that time. While there I made a complaint that the man had also badgered me into the insurance that costs double what the car rental was for and brought my bill into the triple digits on a school trip. I asked for the guy's name and the frightened trainee did her best to recall, but you could tell that she wasn't about to ask him.

Good plan, offer the insurance, and then get the driver so upset that they storm off to the parking lot and out into the darkness, not even knowing where the lights are.

I had a thrilling time with it all…
Thankfully after barely making it the 45 minutes on the freeway to my hotel, the wonderful woman behind the counter explained that there is actually a light rail train outside my door that goes straight to the conference center, avoiding the freeway, (which she mentioned she wouldn't go onto if her life depended on it) and avoiding the issue of parking fees. She even said that there is a shuttle from here that goes straight to the airport for a whopping six dollars as well…
So now my final mission is going to be getting to the rental agency, getting rid of the car, finding a bus, and making my way back to the hotel. I am guessing that the switch may be a lot of work for me, but perhaps the best plan.

Off to ISTE

The forecast for the area of Denver Colorado is a gloomy, overcast scenario with a major probability of thunder and lightning.

I am excited for my arrival in this new state, and am continually impressed by my own lack of general knowledge relating to the country I live in. I have been flying over sandy desert and snow covered mountains, each one looking more mysterious than the last, leaving me to wonder where I may be and finally leading to the conclusion that I haven't a clue what the names of any of the states are or where they might be in geographical relation to one another.

Getting out of the airport was the usual endeavor. I had the rare opportunity to leave out of Eugene and avoid an extra two hour drive on top of what is already going to be a long and tiresome day. When I arrived, I was surprised to find how small the entire operation was and was very impressed with the local artwork that is incorporated into the whole area.

I was not, however, impressed by the local options for food, where I was presented with an $8 dollar burger and a $16 dollar bill. That was just a funny oversight, but I thought it was a little entertaining.

On the topic of entertainment, I was fairly amused to find after arriving at my final terminal in waiting for my plain, that the rest of the passengers and I were joined by a very pushy woman with a knack for projection. This lady sat on a bench for over an hour, calling everyone she knew in turn and screaming across the terminal how she had been robbed of her most prized possessions and hated the airline industry on account of it.

After the first two calls I started collecting data on the frequency in which she repeated herself. I heard toothpaste about 11 times, mouthwash about 9 times, and hour mouse about 12, which was the most displeasing to her…
It was a fairly interesting spectacle, with the rest of the waiting passengers in complete silence and not wanting to disrupt this obviously disgruntled passenger. I knew that she would be joining us on our flight, but am hoping in the back of my mind that she is no one of consequence and will not turn out to be one of our keynote speakers and end up holding a grudge with me for mocking her pain and taking data on the subject.

The Picnic Table

Long ago in a far away land, there was once a complex that was home to a picnic table.
It was a modest thing. It just served a purpose...
Many a day would be filled with the merriment of book clubs and old friends, gathering around in it's presence...
No one minded that the table had been well worn over the years and that the paint was chipping in certain spots.
The true joy came from the simple function that it served, it was a place to eat, chat, and hang out...

But soon the powers that be learned of the picnic table's power and they were jealous....
They took it away for "Maintenance"....
The seasons passed with few noticing it's absence, but for the rest of us, we waited patiently for the return of our long lost friend.

Finally, a year later, I see a little college kid, sanding away at the table, promising that it will be done any time now...

As the final touch they have covered it in caution tape and given up completely...

I want my table back, how hard can this be?
I mean really,
What is the hold up.

Over and Done

Today is the last day of the year and the first day without students.
We ended the year with our final field trips, having sent the graduating class off to Oaks Theme Park near Portland and Shipping the 6th and 7th graders off to a fun filled day at Skate World and Fall Creek.

I wasn't slated to join either of the ventures and was looking forward to a peaceful day sorting electronics in my room. At the last minute, I was discovered enjoying the calm silence in my room and immediately recruited.
I was put in charge of bus three, which boasted more than it's fair share of misfits.
Not looking forward to the 10 hour adventure, I drug myself out of bed and prepared myself for my post.

The morning was filled with popcorn and movies, starting the countdown till we headed out on the buses to take over a forgotten skate park that has frozen itself in time and ignored progress at all costs.

I recall visiting skate world as a child and was surprised to find that the rumors were true that they had not done a thing to update it in the last 20 years....
The very same retro carpets, stained with coke and iceys were right were I left them, and even the prices had gone unchanged.

The students really impressed me with their skills, flying around the rink and crashing into the walls.
I was very impressed to find that some of our teachers are also master skaters and make short work of showing up the kids every chance they could.
I opted to wear flip-flops and guard the munchkins instead of injuring myself in any attempt to pretend I could skate.

Finally towards the end, I noticed the air hockey table in the corner and wandered over to see what was going on...
From there I took on each of my students and dominated them in an undefeated streak ten kids long.
I had a great time destroying them on the table and taking on a few of my favorite students, especially the one who took the time to write, "I had a good time annoying you all year"in my yearbook.
I was finally taken down by one of the smallest students in the entire 6th grade, who took his rightful place as the air hockey master.
It was nice to actually be good at something for once, and I had a great time.
From there we headed out to Fall Creek Reservoir, where the students swarmed the cement lined pool of water that we call a lake.
Even though it was freezing out, the kids dove right in and had a blast.
It was nice to see all the students enjoying their last day with their friends and showing a new side.
We got back at around 6 in the evening, and I immediately went home and passed out from all the excitement.

I am happy to see the year has made it's way to a close and the rest of the summer is in sight.
Next up for me will be a dizzying schedule of activities and events that will lead right back up to the return of school in the fall.
This week is my only time to prepare for the events that will follow.
I have today and possibly a bit of the coming week to shut down the lab, get all the equipment in summer mode, take 350 batteries out of all the computers, deconstruct the lab and get ready to leave for Denver where I will be attending the ISTE conference for 4 days.
I will be on the outskirts of town and be traveling by car to reach the event each day. It is my hope that I will even be able to find the place, let alone find parking...
As soon as I get back to town, I will be right in the middle of teaching Super Summers, where I have 6 hour classes daily for three weeks straight...
After that I will be working in a lemonade stand until it is time to get out of town, on what will be my only break, traveling to Peru.
We have all the pieces together for the final excursion and as soon as I get back I will have about three days to design 12 classes for the fall and get back to work, imaging and resetting all the computers in the building and significantly increasing the stock of the company that makes our labeling tape.
Looking forward to making the lies come true and getting a minute to relax when it is all through.

Dinner with Autumn

So last evening I headed out with Autumn to catch up and split a burger...
We arrived at our destination and were carded at the door before being seated at our table...
We then began perusing the menu while waiting for our waitress...who carded us again...
She stood waiting for our drink selections, as I flipped the menu over back and forth, looking for my options...
She looked down at me and said, "You looking for drinks? You won't find them there..." and pointed to the special leaflet.
I asked if she had anything like tea...
She said, "Sure, we've got tea with peach vodka, mango vodka, vanilla vodka, we can do what ever you like..."
After a few impatient moments and a clear look of confusion on my part, Autumn finally speaks up and asks me, "Did you just want tea?"
Which was the correct answer...
The lady apologized for trying so hard to push the booze on us and wandered away...
I just thought it was funny that the idea of a regular drink was unheard of and she seemed mystified by the proposal.

Irises from the Meadow

Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me

This weekend I will be headed out to a major showing of irises and other flowers in record numbers...
I will be taking some photos and getting caught up on classes as well.
Today was a grading day and I spent the majority of my time gathering photos for the yearbook which will be up for publication in the coming week...
So time to buckle down and make the lie come true by putting together a photo archive of all the year's activities for the whole K-8 building.
This should be a fun one.
Other than all that, I will be dipping strawberries in chocolate for a treat for the teachers on monday and planning out my next year's courses for technology....
Good times.

Rainy Days and Thunder Storms

Hey there,
I have been informed by numerous parties that I need to give a few updates, as it has again been a while since I got on here and posted any news.
I have been busy getting the wind up for the end of the year ready to go.
We have five weeks left in the year and the kids are ready to be getting out the door.
This Friday will be the end of the first grading period and then just four more Mondays and we are all done.

This week has been an interesting one, with a few exciting developments in the baking department.
I had two orders for baby showers in the same weekend and ended up making 113 cupcakes between the two events.
It required three batches of icing and the majority of my weekend, but it seemed to go nicely.
Sierra is expecting her first child with in the next month, and we had a nice time getting together with all of her family to celebrate the new arrival.
In other news we are experiencing some very strange weather here in Eugene, with summer just around the corner I have to admit I am a little surprised by the thunder, lightning, monsoon style rain, and occasional hail storm.
Along with the baby showers, I had a chance to see my long lost friend, Kristy, and catch up a bit with her over the weekend. It was a nice change of pace to have someone back on the couch and get a chance to spend some time around town and hear how everyone from back home was doing.
Other than that, like I mentioned before, I just received my new teaching license, which puts me back in the green for another three years... All my observations are in, and I am all set till the next round.
Other than classes, I am getting ready for the first round of visitors over at my second school site. We will be hosting a number of visitors that will be checking out the new additions to our classroom and the ways we are putting our new tools to work to help our students learn new things.

Last but not least, this week we found out that Corky will be joining Tom Arnold in an upcoming comedy show out in Maui. She will be up on the big stage in front of 300 people for her latest production.
I hope it goes well and that this is the first step in the long process of her successful repayment of many loans starting when I was around ten years old.
I have an entire photo album filled with I.O.U.'s and haven't forgotten about our little arrangements...
So here's to hoping she is a big success.

And lastly, this past weekend, I had the chance to go out and see the latest Iron Man movie...
The theatre was packed and I thought it was a great show...
Full of excitement and fun new twists.
Definitely not as disappointing as many of the others out there...

Happy Taxes

So this week I am trying to be on top of things, clean the house get my act in gear in time for Wednesday.
My dad will be making his way to town this coming week. We are looking forward to heading out to the world renown Olive Garden as well as a few other sights in town.
Should be a good time...
In other news, I finished the paper work for renewing my teaching license...
This was the first round for me, though we are required to do this every three years...
The process is a little vague and there are always conflicting stories in regard to what the actual requirements are... In part this is because there are different rules for different groups of people depending on the type of license they hold and the time that they were first issued it. If for example, you were issued a license in the 70's or 80's you are "Grandfathered" from complying to the current requirements, which dictate that you must have passed your state testing from Praxis and CBEST. Those teachers only need to have informal reviews completed by their peers and be showing progress toward continuing education, shown by district professional development units or course credits...
Along with that they need to fill out a form describing the areas they have been improving in...
I get to do the masters level courses route and had to come up with 4.5 credits. The paperwork is pretty confusing.
But at any rate, I drove all the way down to headquarters and dropped it all off...
The main concern of the man behind the counter was to ensure I drafted my check correctly...
Past that he said everything else I turned in looked fine.
I am really glad I made it all the way down there and had them check me off in person. I would have hated to have waited for acknowledgement to find later that I had incorrectly filed...
So that is a big relief and I should receive my new license within the month.
In other news, I recently had a chance to hang out with a few old friends, one I hadn't seen in around ten years...
It was nice to catch up and we made a modest attempt at making sushi, only to mess it up at every turn.
But in the end all went well and we had a great time.

I will keep you posted on the coming week...
Our Apple visit is coming up soon.

Happy Easter

So sorry for the absence...
Over the last few weeks we finished with the Saturday Class... All the munchkins got their sites up and running.
And as planned I finally had a chance to get out of town for Spring Break.
We went down the coast on 101, through the Trees of Mystery and down to the Avenue of the Giants.
It was fairly rainy throughout the journey which I found to be an added benefit, since it kept competing visitors at bay.
I had a chance to stay in Redway and was very impressed by the little communities in the area and how they refuse to give up even though their little towns have been ravaged by floods for hundreds of years.
One of the highlights on the trip was stopping into a small conservatory where you could read information about the area and learn about the interesting events that have happened in the area...
While exploring the scene I was impressed to find one of the most complete displays of dead native animals that I have ever seen.
When these people go on a killing spree, they sure are thorough.
I saw around 80 specimens all crammed into on space, baby bears next to baby squirrels and so many others...
On the way out I wandered past a setup for children to explore... They were so often seen boxes with covered lids and the invitation to use your sense of feeling to guess what is inside.
I decided to skip the whole guessing process and just look inside...
I was shocked to find a taxidermied limb from a mountain lion...
It was obviously falling apart, smelled horribly, and had patches of fur that had fallen off and been worn away by the children...
That was a little startling, but other than that the whole thing was pretty neat...

After making our way though the Avenue of the Giants, we wandered down 101 and made our way to Fort Bragg.
This little town was actually where I was born, and I can't recall visiting it in quite some time.
Getting down there was no small feat, traveling down the infamous highway 1 through it's nauseating turns and bends.
It really was a sickening road, with little relief once through the passage.
After that with the rain and fog on the coast, the little towns on the side seemed pretty sad.
We finally made it into town in time to find a fun little restaurant in the middle of town.
As I wandered through the building, looking at art on display, I was surprised to see a small woman standing next to me, who moments later walks up and announces that she knows me and that I teach her son...
That was a bit of a trip. It really is a small world, and even driving hundreds of miles into what I would sum up as the middle of nowhere, there are still people out there waiting to hop out of crevices and say hello.

This week I am off to the Sheraton Inn again, up in Portland, for the latest round of conferences on integrating technology into the classroom curriculum.
Lately at my sites, I have been working on getting the teams up and running with their clickers, Proscope microscopes, and other fun new tools. I have just gotten three out of the four classes up on Apple Remote Desktop and had a little chance to show them how the tool looks in action.
At the last part of the day in one of my classes, I heard the teacher announce that it was time for all the children to begin shutting down their machines and getting ready to go home. I could hear the reluctant sighs as the kids looked at their screens, not wanting to stop what they were doing. Just for fun I asked if it would be alright if I took care of it, and my wonderful host agreed. With just the press of a button I sent out the order for all the machines to shut down, and within a matter of seconds all the kids were looking around trying to figure out what had happened...
Clean up was accomplished in record time and many of the kids came up to inquire about the magic I had just performed.

Good times,
though I am not looking forward to being away from my class and the fun planning that goes into being out of town.