Cancer Support Group

Well I finally made to the cancer support group at my church. This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while but for various reasons and they are REASONS not excuses I have not been able to go. Tracey went with me because we were told there would be people who were cancer patients and their care givers there. It is important for Tracey to have someone talk to about what she is going through.

While we were by far the youngest in the group it was great to talk to people who are or have gone through what I have gone through. Tracey has been superwoman through all of this but there are some things that I want to talk about that she can't help me or understand what I deal with so I don't talk about it. Let me explain.

Someone mentioned last night about the first time that they went without thinking about cancer and is this okay if I touch this or eat that.

THAT is something I want to talk about. While I am in good health now a day does not go by that I don't think about the "what if" question. Work has been great. I have been swamped but it my mind is totally committed to work right now so I don't think about it as much but it still happens.

I guess until I get the all clear sign from my doctor and I am an official survivor of cancer I won't be "worry free"....but you get my point. These are the things that I think about....at night when everyone is asleep...or on my way to work or on my way home. I still remember sitting there in the hospital the first time thinking...this may be it? Only 35 years. What the Deuce God....You gave Hitler like 56 years!!!! The second time I went through this I thought...God? If you want to kill me just hit me with a bus or something? Why are you dragging this out?

These are the things that I want to talk to people who have been there before. That while I have talked to my wife about I know scares her so I don't go there.

She needs this group because she needs the same support from those that been the caregiver. I think this group will be great for both of us. Everyone keep me committed to the 4th Monday of each month.

Thanks,

Jdhteach aka Huffdaddy

Friday Night Lights Part II

In high school I was in band. When I posted about football season I got some good natured teasing from a really close friend about Friday Night Lights and the marching bands. In fairness he is right. I can speak from experience that these kids put in A LOT of time to put on a good show. And if you were like me and went to a high school where the football team was a joke then band was the way to go. And we were good.....really good. I love high school football but I also love to watch the bands. The style has changed since "back in the day" but the bands here are something to see. So this post is for all of you Band Geeks!--I say this with love because I was one and once you are a Band Geek you are ALWAYS a Band Geek!

STAND TALL.....BE PROUD...OH YEAH!!! HUH!!!!

100 Is the Magic Number

Here in North Texas this time of year it is hot. REAL HOT!! It is kind of depressing when on Saturday morning I am watching the news report and hear that for MOST of this week we can expect temperatures WELL over 100 degrees. When it is THAT hot you can't do anything outside. The kids can't play outside.

Why is 100 degrees the magic number? Because yesterday I was out running around and I thought....man it feels GREAT outside. It was very noticable that it was MUCH cooler outside. This was about 7:30 in morning. When I got to work I checked the temperature. It was 93. Amazing! I rode home from work on my scooter at about 4:00 yesterday. Again I thought it felt great outside. I got home....98 degrees. There is something about the 100 degree mark. When it get's there it becomes a beating.

I love living here in North Texas. The Fall season is AWESOME and I am all for mild winters. But August is NOT a reason to live here. At least we only have to live through ONE hard month.

Feeling Stronger

August 18th will be the 7 month mark from my transplant. I have noticed within the last couple of weeks I would say that my energy level is has increased significantly. There have been times where I have done stuff that would literally be IT for the day but I have done well at maintaining my energy. The heat sometimes ZAPS me but I have been doing pretty good. The important thing is not to over do it. I have done that before.

Friday Night Lights

Well football season is almost here. This is a little video of the high school team where I work. Football is KING in the state of Texas and this video backs up the dedication of these kids. You can't watch this and not want to strap on the helmet one more time and hit something hard!!

Doctor Visit Update

Went to see the doctor today. Everything lookes pretty good. I have officially been moved to monthly visits. WHAHOOEY

Back From San Antonio

Just got back from San Antonio tonight. I had to come back a day early because I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It is nice having the house to myself for a bit but at the same time I already miss my kids and Tracey. We stayed at a resort that is way out of our price range but we don't pay the bill on this one so it's nice. Here are some of my observations from the trip.
1. Loved getting to spend extended time with the kids and Tracey. Jack, Caroline and myself spent most of our time in the "lazy river". Given their choice the kids would probably want to do this all day every day.
2. My wife's two sisters were with us and they did an AWESOME job with the kids. I know it is a bit of a shock to their system to be with the kids 24/7 but they are great aunts and my kids ADORE all of their aunts and love to spend time with them.
3. San Antonio is unbelievably hot this time of year. Temperature at the Alamo yesterday was 108. Yes that is right....108.
4. As Jack and I were going through the Alamo he was kind of board until he saw THE GUNS!!!! Then the tour took a whole other pace. He wanted to read EVERYTHING!!!
5. I had not been to the Alamo in years and I found it very interesting to read up on it.
6. The model they have of the battle is pretty incredible. It must have taken years to build.
7. Spent 80 bucks on Alamo stuff for the kids....tourist trap!!!
8 Did I mention it was a hundred and eight degrees in San Antonio yesterday?
9. The tar was melting in the street yesterday in San Antonio..because it was 108 DEGREES IN SAN ANTONIO YESTERDAY.
10. Last night we watched Finding Nemo out on the Resort Lawn. This was pretty neat. The resort sets up this huge screen and they play a movie. They bring out the free popcorn and away we go. That was really neat.
11. I thought it was interesting....kind of a Cady Shack moment. Do you remember in the movie where they open the pool up to the caddies for 15 minutes and all of the club members vacate???? Well yesterday a large group of African American teens (about 15) showed up at the lazy river. You could see SOME white rich people getting their kids out of the river and leaving the area. I just laughed. I was right there in the river with them. They did get a little roudy at one point but nothing bad and they are teenagers. I thought they acted a heck of a lot better some of the rich little white kids and their since of entitlement sometimes in the river. They were in the river for about 30 minutes then they left. Then you could see the others return. How shallow some people are is remarkable.

Overall, great trip. Family returns by plane tomorrow. Thank you Aunt K and S for being their for the kids. They love to spend time with you.

We Are Reminded of Thier Ultimate Sacrifice

This past week as I was in the airport a large group of Marines were going through the airport and I along with EVERYONE in the airport stopped what they were doing...put their bags down and began clapping. You could see the smile on their faces. This video reminds us of what they face everyday. Regardless of whether you agree with why they are there they are there because their country asks them to go and they go. God Bless everyone who is harms way.

Eddie Izzard Teaching History

Being a former history teacher I should have thought to explain the expansion of England this way. It is so much easier.

I love Darth Vader Humor. I need the help of the FORCE to make my short game better.

Whose Line Is It Anyway

I am a huge fan of this show. This is a skit that I missed some how. It is where they have to make up a song given a certain situation or person. Sometimes they get a little racey but this was good.

PHONE CALL FROM HOME

I am at the Pro Football Hall of Fame gazing at the historical items they have on display when my phone rings. My first thought was why in the world would my phone be ringing. Well it was my wife and she was half talking and half crying in the phone. All I got was the words "busted" and "water is under the floor". I instantly knew what had happened. The hot water heater was in the process of going out. And I am about 800 miles away.

I was able to talk Tracey through shutting the thing off and getting it drained. This was not the first time this had happened to us so it came back quickly to Tracey what I was telling her to do. The good news is we caught it early and the damage was minimal. We still had to pull up the wood floors in our movie room. We are going to have to replace the wood floors. The bad news is that we have a 1% deductible (which is pretty standard) So before insurance kicks in we are out over 2,000 dollars. Debt.....The American Way :(

It could have been much worse I suppose.

American Airlines Eagle

In trying to get a non-stop flight to Cleveland my mother found that American Eagle was about the only people who would make this flight. I don't know what the cost was per person but my dad said it was not THAT great of a deal. My thing is this. It says on the side of the plane REGIONAL AIR LINES. Now think about this. If you are flying out of Dallas' DFW airport what comes to mind when I say REGIONAL? Look at this list below and see if one city does not seem regional to Dallas.
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
McAllen
Perhaps Tulsa or Oklahoma City
Shreveport
Cleveland Ohio

If you guessed CLEVELAND then you get a lolly pop. Regional to me in time means I will be on this plane no longer than an hour and a half.

The flight to Cleveland is 2 hours and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 50 minutes depending on the wind. This plane is so small I cannot stand up straight in it. To be fair I am 6ft. 4 in. tall so I am pushing it in all but the biggest planes. But I don't have to duck in Southwest planes! Next are the seats. These things are noticeably smaller and they are JAMMED together two by two. One of the flight attendants had to walk down the isle at an angle so she could fit. I already told you about the lady who wanted to recline her seat on the way up there. On the way back a guy was sitting in front of me. He did not recline back but this boy was big. I would say he was pushing around 400 pounds. I noticed his body went over into the other seat. Thank goodness the girl sitting next to him was smaller. She did however have to spend her flight time leaning over to the right. While I was waiting for my luggage I was standing next to this guy who was about 5 foot 5 inches. His wife said, "How was the flight?" His comment? It was fine but we were crammed in there like rats! I just giggled. I thought YOU WERE CRAMPED!?!?!?

American Eagle needs to look at what they do on this one. It was simply too cramped to be on a flight that long.

Are There Degrees Of Amishness?

When I think of Amish I think of pioneer. They use hand held tools for building. Horses for traveling and working in the fields. I found this to not really be the case. I guess it depends on how Amish you are.

Let me explain-

The bicycle is a major mode of transportation- I get that. Man powered. Used mostly by women it seems but you do see young men using the bicycle as well.

The other mode of transportation is the horse and buggy. I get that too. The buggy even has blinkers and battery powered lights for at night. Pretty Amish I say.

But check this out. Going through town here comes an Amish guy and his wife as they stop at a stop light....in a $50,000 Dooley Ford Pickup. This thing was the Texas Star Edition. That is the leather seats...captains chairs...lights up like a Christmas tree kind of truck. It was pulling a trailer with all things .....A TRACTOR. No ordinary tractor either. The kind with the air conditioned cab. The tractor itself cost about 100,000 new. Now how AMISH is that guy?

I saw an Amish woman mowing with a tractor like you see at Home Depot.

I also saw in the airport an Amish fellow waiting to board a plane.

Wait a minute.....I thought we used horses and buggies!?!

Is there some sort of rule book on what you can use and what you can't? Is the guy who uses hand tools and a horse for transportation more Amish than the guy who uses the tractor?

Where do they draw the line? How do they decide? I am not going to use a power tool to build a house but I need my Dooley to haul my tractor???

Can anybody shed light on this one?

Ohio Trip Observations

Well we are back from the great state of Ohio. I can honestly see why the people in Ohio are so passionate about their college and pro teams. It is because there is nothing else to do there. Even the people who live there acknowledge it. Here are some of my observations though that I thought were interesting.

1. Cleveland hit a homerun with how their football field and baseball field are set up. The are right downtown with tons of places to go after the game.
2. Great set up on Lake Erie for fishing or boating.
3. The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is extremely small.
4. The price of gas is varies from 3.89 to 4.25
5. The weather this time of year is GREAT- High in the mid 80's lows in the high 60's.
6. The Amish farms are something to see. They are picture perfect and their homes are beautiful farm houses.
7. The pro football hall of fame is a must see for any football fan. My recommendation though would be to make it a stop on a bigger vacation to say Philadelphia or Chicago.

Here are some blogs that I will be doing shortly.
a. Are there degree's of Amish? How Amish are you?
b. American Airlines Eagle
c. The phone call I got from Tracey while I was visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame. " I am sorry sweetheart you said WHAT is EVERYWHERE?"

First Day In Canton Ohio

Well dad and I made it to the pro football hall of fame. We loved it. We toured the hall for a grand total of about 6 hours. I strongly recommend that if you love football and you are traveling up North that you swing by Canton.

Here is an observation that we have made about the state of Ohio.

THERE IS NOT A WHOLE LOT TO DO. To be fare I want to say that this is not my words. These are the words of the people that live here.

Not a problem for us though. We are taking day trips of things to see and do. Today we are traveling to the AMISH country to check out that scene.

Here is another observation that we have made around here.

1. When people tell you how to go somewhere or shall I say how they think you go somewhere
they deal in time and not miles. You might think "what is the big deal?" The deal is it
depends on who you ask. To get to one place of interest dad and I had we asked 3 people
and we got anywhere from 20 minutes to 75 minutes. Now that is a HUGE difference.

2. Canton Ohio (according to the tourist information guide) is 20 to 30 minutes from anywhere
in the state. Something dad and I have discovered is load of dooky.

3. No one knows how to get somewhere. Here is a sample question that we asked 3 people.
Question: Do you know where the Amish country is located?
Hotel Desk- Um No I don't.
Gas Station Clerk- Never heard of it.
Lady at Station Buying Gas- Uh...I have heard of it and I have been there but I don't know
where it is.

And it is not just the Amish country. They don't know how to get to restaurants or key points of interest. There was a major state highway right outside a gas station we stopped at to ask how much farther it was to a point of interest.
Answer- I don't know.
Question- How much further on this highway do we travel before we get to West Virginia.
Answer- I don't know.
Question- Do you know what direction this highway takes us?
Answer- Um no.

Now to put this in perspective of people who live in Dallas this is what we are asking these people. Let's say you are at 635 and 75. Can you tell someone...
1. How to get to McKinney?
2. How to get to Frisco?
3. What is a good steak restaurant and how do you get there?
4. How do you get to South Fork?

As you can see we are not asking tough questions.

Do not get me wrong. Dad and I are really enjoying our time together and we are laughing a lot. Last night we found a casino and horse track in West Virginia so we had a full day yesterday.

Today it is off to the Amish and then I think another horse track in Salem PA. According to the locals it's only 20 minutes away....or is it 60 minutes.....or if you ask the right person ...does it even exist?

The Plane Ride To Ohio

Well I made it to Ohio. I have an observation in PLANE travel. This observation or experience I shall say is a big reason why I opt to drive to most places. It has nothing to do with the airport security. I think this is a needed step in today's society. It has nothing to do with the long waits or the recirculated air on the plane or the plane itself.

It has to do with the mentality of the other passengers. Mainly the type of people who were sitting in front of my father and I on the plane. This plane was a small plane. It sat a total of 78 people. Needless to say....WE WERE CLOSE! Both my father and I are well over 6 feet tall and over 250lbs. Needless to say....WE WERE CLOSE!. The people in front of us decided to recline their chairs into our laps making things even worse.

Look I realize we are cramped here but have some common sense that when you recline your chair you are making the space for the person behind you even smaller. The lady in front of me thought her chair should go back further and bounced on it thinking it was broke. That bulge in her back was my KNEES!

We made the most out of it and dad and I joked about it a lot. We got there safely and we got to visit so that was good.

My dad did make the comment about if we drove the same amount of time that it took to travel by plane....HOW FAR WOULD WE BE? Tulsa was the answer.....oh well.

I will have an observation about the state of Ohio later. It's off to the hall of fame today.

Squirrel Population Explosion

My neighborhood seems to be overrun by squirrels. I live in an established neighborhood not too far from a golf course. My street runs perpendicular to the homes that back up to the golf course. Point being I am about 50 yards from squirrel utopia. I have lived here for 3 years and I can never remember this many squirrels being around. I went outside yesterday and there were 4 squirrels in my yard messing around and SEVEN MORE in my neighbors yard. It does not really bother me that much but I know squirrels can be destructive. They will mess with the shingles on your roof and can do other little things that are annoying. If that starts happening I may have to get a pellet gun to ward them off.

Just RETIRE for crying out loud.

It has only been a couple of weeks but this story is already old. Will Favre stay retired or will he play again? My first thought is that he should stay retired. Green Bay has already made arrangements for life after Favre. They drafted quarterbacks in the draft and spent the whole off season getting their offense ready to suit their new quarterback. Now Favre wants to come back. I just wish he would come out and say it. It is real easy. You hold a press conference and you say...After a few months away from the game I have come to the conclusion that I can still physically play the game and mentally I want to play the game for at least one more year.... In addition I understand the Packers have moved on in a different direction so I am asking to be released and taken off of the reserved retired list. Teams that need a quarterback....call me. The problem was that on March 6th when he made his announcement he was mentally exhausted. Now that he has had time to rest he wants to play. Of course he could end this all by saying ...nope...I am done but he keeps the fire going by saying it's just a rumor. I don't want to see Favre in a Viking Uniform or a Bears uniform...Please Bret...stay retired.

I remember when Marino retired. The Vikings offered him a one year contract. He turned it down. When Aikman retired there was talk that the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to talk him into playing for them. Aikman said, nope..I am retired. Please Bret stay away.

The Economy Has Hit Everyone Hard.

It seems that everyone has been hit hard by economy. Even the Emperor is having to look into other ways to earn a living. Layoffs are everywhere.

Lego Star Wars

My wife and son are HUGE fans of the Lego Star Wars series. We have all of the games and they have finished all of them. I am posting this little video because I think someone is very talented. This is great.

Digging The Scooter

Well I have officially worn the scooter in. I have been riding it all over town doing my errands. I try to get out early when it is nice and cool. Well anything under 90 is cool when you are riding at 45 to 50 miles an hour. I have ridden about 230 miles the past two weeks and I have spent $10.68 in gas. I filled up my car the other day and it was over 65 dollars. I still use my car for the big stuff but for running around town doing little errands it sure has helped my cars trips to the gas station cut down. I will probably use the scooter to go to work for a little bit tomorrow. That is about a 50 mile round trip. It will use about one of my two gallons in the scooter.

I did have two people ask me at a red light this morning where I got my scooter and how much I paid for it. Another guy told me he had to get one. In case you were wonderding MISHIMOTORSPORTS.COM! Go see them!

I Wonder

I have been blogging for a while now and I am trying to figure out how to build my group of regular readers. I know most of my family checks out the blog at least weekly. I have a group of friends who check out the blog regulary. Thank you Pope, The Man, and Tony's Tidbits for stopping by regularly and leaving comments. The thing is I will notice by the counter that I will get some 10 or 15 hits some days but I have no idea who these people are.

Does anyone know of a way to track who the returning readers are and who the newbies are?

I have seen something like this on other blogs but I have no idea how they got it.

HELP

I Love You Caroline

My little girl is only 4 but one day she will be grown. No matter how many years pass I will always be her daddy.

Live Like You Were In Remission

Here is the video of the song I referenced in an earlier post. Listen to the lyrics. It really explains my thought processes right now.

Not Your Typical Business Lunch

How many times does Tim Conway keep himself from cracking up? I think I counted like four.

Evolution Of The Night Time Sleeping Arrangements

When I got my first place as a bachelor I insisted on getting a California King bed. I inherited a one year old mattress which saved me a ton of money. When my wife came into the picture it was great. We like to snuggle but when it comes time to sleep she gets in her zip code and I get in mine and off to sleep we go. I would sometimes just sit there and watch her sleep. It was so nice. I could not believe how lucky I was.

Then a few years into the marriage she introduced an extra pillow into the relationship. Nothing major. Just a little one that she put in between her knees to make her more comfortable.

Year 4 of Marriage- Baby Jack was on the way. As the pregnancy progressed to help support her back another pillow was added. Okay, two pillows now...plus the one she sleeps on that makes three. Cuts down on space in bed a little but who cares as long as she is comfortable and can get some sleep.

Wait...what is this...ANOTHER pillow. This one is on her face. How does she breath?!? I am told that the wind from the fan bothers her but that she likes the cool air just not blowing on her face. Ummm Okay Four pillows to my one.

Now we have another pillow added for her to grab onto to. If you lost count here it is.

2 pillows for her head.
1 pillow for her knees\
1 pillow for her back
1 pillow for her to grab onto.

That is five pillows. I am sleeping with a pillow fort. I know my wife is in there...somewhere. I see the covers moving up and down so I know she is alive and if I look real closely sometimes I can see part of her face between the two pillows.

Again I can look at her asleep and cannot believe how lucky I am....the more things change the more they stay the same.

I Have Heard of Airline Cutbacks But This Is Rediculous

I think I flew this airline to Mexico one time.

Is This Your Dentist?

Here Harvey Corman loses it.

Siamese Twin Elephants

This is funny! Watch Tim Conway try not to crack himself up.

This Is Not Rocket Science- Why Do I Have To Meet Again?

One of the last things we have to do as Principals before we leave is turn in our master schedule for the following school year. In my district there are two campuses like mine. We are very similar in make up with the exception of the Hispanic population. I have more due to the fact that I am the bilingual campus.

The month of June is extremely busy for administrators due to the fact that there is many things to do to shut down a building for the summer. I am not going to bother or bore you with a list. Let's just say that there is a lot of things to do. Anyway, back to building the schedule.

There are many questions that go into building a schedule.
1. How many kids do you have in the grade level?
2. Looking at your testing scores which areas need the most support?
3. Based on that information how many sections of each class do you need to offer to support
support your needs?

Now I am going to jump out on a limb here. Let me give you a scenario and see what you would do? Let's say when you looked at your testing scores you noticed that your math scores, while good, were the lowest group of scores. Specifically your Hispanic population you noticed were low. WHAT CLASSES DO YOU NEED TO OFFER MORE SUPPORT TO? Survey said.....MATH....ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,....you got the number one answer.

Now what do you do? You can do many things.
`. Offer more sections of math- you can do this by having more people teach math. Teachers
have more than one subject to teach.
In my case I have my ESL teacher teaching one math class a day to my ESL learners. Basically they will be working on building their math vocabulary so that they will understand WHAT they are being asked to do. Many times the kids know how to do the math but they don't know what the problem is asking them to do..

The problem I am having is that the principal at the other campus does not get how to make a schedule. Her answer to everything is more time. She has a problem thinking outside the box. The district has encouraged her to meet with me because our campuses are very similar in make up and our scores continue to improve and theirs are not. Well they are but not very quickly. This pains her to no end because in her mind she is doing everything she can. In reality she is doing everything she can think of......see the difference. So now I have to meet with her and basically do a "Scheduling 101" class with her.

I feel I know what the real problem is and until they get THAT fixed it won't matter how good of a schedule they come up with.

THAT- being two things-

First, is the overall culture of their building. I am not over there so this is total rumor. The teachers do not trust the administration of the building. I have heard this from teachers who are good friends with my AP. Again, you don't know if this is the whole staff or just a handful of people. I did have this happen though. I had a teacher transfer over to my building from the other campus and I point asked her..... Why do you want to come over here? She grinned and did not know what to say. I followed up by saying that it was the same curriculum, same district, same district philosophy. Why here? Why now? She said, she felt that in her current position she felt building leadership was always out to get you or catch you doing something wrong where as she had heard several good things about working with me and how much the teachers respected how I treated them. She is thinking of administration in the future and all she had learned from current administration is what NOT to do. So maybe there is some truth to the rumor? If teachers believe in the direction the leadership is taking they will do anything for you. But they have to BELIEVE and know that you CARE about them and that you are going to take care of them. That's my philosophy anyway.
Second, The AP at the other campus is not pleasant to deal with. Well she is okay as long as you agree with her. In the past I have had dealings with this person due to the fact that we share some staff members. When discussing what is best for teachers let's just say we don't agree. Well when I point out holes in her system and she can't find anything to come back with she get's mad and down right SNIPPY! The principal of the campus has deferred to her so much that this AP has quite the big head and it has turned into the TAIL WAGGING THE DOG!

I told my supervisors that I would meet with the principal and would gladly help with the scheduling of the other campus but with permission to speak freely I told them that until they get those two things fixed it won't matter how good of a schedule they have. Luckily they agreed and I still have a job.

Big Golf Tourney Today For Jack!

This morning was a big event for Jack. His first golf tournament since we took a break from golf. Jack was on the local public golf courses junior golf team. They had class every Tuesday and Thursday night. The problem we started noticing was that when the temperature got hot Jack would get zapped of any energy he had. We backed off of golf for about a month and with the exception of hitting balls a couple of times we took a break from playing.

During this break we really made an effort to monitor Jacks diet and excercise to help build up his stamina. Another thing we did was we encouraged him to play outside to get adapted to the heat. This along with his swimming and karate kept him pretty busy physically. He has only lost 2 lbs but everyone has noticed his tummy is smaller. Don't get me wrong. Jack is not fat but he needed to be in better shape to haul around a golf bag for 9 holes in 95 + degree heat.

This week was golf camp at the local public golf course where he used to be on the team. His coach told us every day how great Jack was doing and that you could really see a change in him. This morning was the tourniment that they do and the end of each golf camp. Jack stepped up to the first hole. It was 175 yards to the pin. Jack CRUSHED the t-shot and was on the green in 2. He continued his good play throughout the tourniment. He had some clunkers but he was able to always follow that up with a great recovery shot. He was able to finish 2nd out of 11 kids in his talent group. He was so happy to get a trophy. The important thing is he improved his overall score from his previous tourniment.

On a scoring note I think there was some point shaving going on by some parents in my group. Normally you switch cards with the others in your group so that you are not keeping score of your own kids card. I know this seems petty but today was a classic reason why they do this in tourniments. When we got our scorecard we started to try and trade with the father of one of the other kids in our group and he looked at us like we were nuts. He said, "I want to keep track of my kids score." Okay fine. So we went along with it. Well I know now why that dad did not want someone else keeping track of his kids card. I know for a fact that he scored poorly on a couple of the holes today. And yet somehow his score was somehow 3 shots better than Jacks. I did not care because I was only concerned about Jack and this kid was in another talent group anyway. His dad must have looked away on a couple of his kids shots. His kid ended up winning his talent group by two strokes. As his kid was picking up his first place trophy I wondered why it was THAT important for the dad that his son win. I think his son scored somewhere around where Jack did maybe a little worse. I figured his cheating cost one kid a trophy and another kid a medal but if its that important to you I guess you will do whatever. I am just as competitive as the next person when it comes to sports but I am not going to cheat to do it and darn sure am not going to cheat against a kid. All I want is for Jack to have fun and play well. If he wins something GREAT! I guess that other dad will sleep well tonight since "technically" his kid won.

Its Fun To Work With New Teachers

Today I had the opportunity to walk one of my new hires around the building and show them their new new classroom. This is a first year teacher right out of college. She is so excited and cannot wait for school to start. I am trying to make it to vacation and she can't wait for August to get here! Anyway, I thought it was neat to talk with her and get to know her a bit. She brought her mother and her grandmother with her so they could see her classroom. As they were leaving I found myself remembering how I was that first year. I had my very own classroom! My mom and I worked for 3 days getting everything set up and the room decorated. One day my grandmother came and helped as well. That was 14 years ago.

I got that same feeling again when I got my first administrative position. I had my very own office! Again my mother came and set up my office with pictures and lamps and other things. Grandma came to see my new set up and was pleased for me.

The feeling came again when got my first principal ship. When I pulled into the parking lot I just spent a few moments looking at the building. I had gone to college and earned a degree, and got a graduate degree and spent countless hours juggling work and school all for this. This building was mine! I had been put in a position to make decisions for what I thought was best for 75 staff members and 450 kids. I had two thoughts run through my head. The first, I was just like that first year teacher. Excited and ready for the year to start NOW. The other thought was man I better not screw this up!

Again, mom came up and helped me set up my office. Due to grandma's declining health she never made it to my campus but she knew what was happening and was so excited for me. Even near the end when her condition had robbed her of many of her memories she always remembered my name and was so proud of what I did for a living.

Even though I have been in this position for 3 years now I still am exited about what I do. I am officially staffed and am ready to go for next year! Just like that first year teacher I met with today she could not stop talking about all the great things she wants to do in her classroom I could talk just as much about all the great stuff we have planned as a building next year.

Before school starts I want to change some things up in my office. I will have mom come up and get pick her brain for ideas just as this first year teacher I am sure will do. My grandmother will be there as well. In my mind and in my heart!

A Shout Out To A Great Place To Eat

A few weeks ago I was talking with a buddy of mine about some great places to eat. I knew my wife and I had a date night coming up and I wanted to go some place different. He mentioned that he and his wife went to a place called Love and War in Texas. I have seen this place for 10 years but for some reason never have gone. We went there and I must say I have a new GREAT place to eat. I had the combo fajitas and I could not stop eating these things. My wife got a burger and was pleased as well. We went back THIS weekend and I got the buffalo fajitas. I have a new meat to add to my list...yummy buffalo. This comes with all of the fixin's and a big plate of rice and beans. I have seen their salads and other items on other peoples tables and I must say you can easily order ONE thing and share it. If you get the chips and hot sauce it comes with about 8 tamales on top of the chips. I thought that was interesting. In case you were wondering my fajitas were 13.95. Regular beef or chicken is 12.95. Again, this is MORE than enough for two people. I took about half of it home. I don't know how many of these places are around but if you live by one and have not tried it before GO THERE QUICKLY!!!

I Have Joined The Brotherhood

I have been puttering around on my scooter the past few days and I noticed a TON of schooters and motorcycles on the road. The thing that I think is neat is that many times if a motorcycle is traveling on the opposite side of the road when we pass they wave their hand to acknowledge you. I knew this was done with motorcycle riders but I did not think that scooter riders were included in the club. I feel like I have been invited to be with the cool kids. Last night at a red light I pulled up next to a guy on NICE motorcycle. He was authentic looking. Tattoos...beard...leather was his clothing of choice. Then there is ME....150cc scooter....jeans....T-shirt. Anyway, during the red light he looked over and he smiled and he said ,"nice bike man.....great night for a ride....have a good one!".
I thought that was neat!

Now where should I put my tattoo "BORN TO RIDE!"

Video Game Nerd Is Making An Appearance

July and August are my favorite times of year when it comes to video games. That is because the college football game and the pro football games come out during these two months. It is really the only time that I have to monitor myself to ensure that I don't play too much. NCAA FOOTBALL is released the 13th of July I believe. Only a few weeks wait. WHOO HOO!!!!

It's All Coming Together

I am almost fully staffed. I only have one aides position to fill and I have someone ready to hire for this position. It has been crazy busy since I have return to work but I feel as though a HUGE monkey is off my back due to wrapping up hiring. I had many great candidates to consider and it was hard to make a choice in some instances. I am glad now to take some time off and only work if I WANT to for the next couple of weeks.