"The Times They are a Changin'"

Last week was a whirlwind to say the least.  On Monday  I was called into the principal's office to talk.  In the last few years that usually means something is about to change in my teaching life.  I was asked to teach a class that I have never taught before.  This is the third time in three years  that I have been asked to teach a new class, and this class will be out of my degree major.  I have taught classes out of my degree subject before; Basic Math, PE and Photography.  Usually I have had a non-teaching background in those classes.  The changes were good in those cases and I learned along with the students.

This change though, caught me off guard totally.  Because it involves a retirement of a colleague that hasn't been made public, I can't disclose the class yet.  I will say that of the few that I have told, everyone dropped their jaw when they heard the news.  It took a few days to process the idea.  Maureen believes it will be a great opportunity to teach kids some skills they don't have that will help them when the world goes more haywire than it already is.

This change is the impulse to read The Ordeal of Change, which I haven't started yet.  I had already made the decisions to change some other things for next year.  This additional change, though unexpected, will be added to the heap and should make for a calmer life.  As I read the book I'll share some thoughts.

A few weeks ago I mentioned we added a new German Shepard  to our 'Zoo.  Below meet Gunnar.

He and Khole have become best friends and both being big puppies it's a hoot at times.

You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

Sometime we forget what we shouldn't forget.

From Alan Caruba of the Warning Signs blog, http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/

At a time when our politicians tend to apologize for our country’s prior actions, here’s a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country. These are good.


JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60′s when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded, “Does that include those who are buried here?”

DeGaulle did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of ‘empire building’ by George Bush.

He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American.

During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, “Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?”

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?”

You could have heard a pin drop.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, “Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?”

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, “Maybe it’s because the Brit’s, Canadians, Aussie’s and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE…

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had indeed been to France previously.

“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”

The American said, “The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”

“Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !”

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

# # #

A tip of the hat to my friend, Fred Witzell, who posted this reminder

that's been around a while.

http://texasfred.net/

The Rain has Settled In

We're having a bit of water from the sky here in Central CA.  It's a bit unseasonal; we usually get it earlier.  Rain to our desert is always welcome, but we get spoiled with the dry weather.  Our baseball games start backing up when rainouts occur.  There are only so many umpires, so they become the determining factor of when games are made up. It just makes you learn to adapt and move on.

Last night I received a call from a nephew about his baseball game.  I have been blessed to coach all three of my sons.  Currently there is a local nephew on our baseball team.  I feel that most of the athletes I coach are like sons or daughters.  But I get an additional quiet inside pleasure when a blood relative performs well.  The 8 year old nephew that called last night was excited about receiving the game ball after his game.  He pitched one inning, 3 strike outs and a walk, and caught 2 innings.  Great job, E!

I think I posted that parts of the yard have been changed.  I'm hoping to tidy things up and finish this weekend.  I need to do something with "Soup" our turkey.  She is getting as big as Dinner was, and has become as friendly also.  She is the guardian of the chicken coop, having taken over the role from Dinner. Hank at the Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook has a recipe for barbecued turkey that I'd like to try.  Or should I say Have Maureen try.

I had a conversation with a colleague about change recently and he suggested a book, and then supplied it.  The Ordeal of Change by Eric Hoffer.  I researched Hoffer and found another of those people that I should know about, but never took the time.  Good book it looks like.

Along with the Ordeal, this friend gave me an article that is intriguing.  The premise is why do the Jedi lie so much and the Sith tell the truth?   That will make for some helpful diversions to doing taxes this weekend.

Back to Work

I've always found it a bit of a misnomer to say, "I'm going back to work," after a break or vacation.  I don't have much of what your would call hobbies at this point in my life.  I don't hunt, though I would like to start, or fish, though I would like to restart.  I used to cycle some; now I enjoy riding back and forth to school.  I used to ski and still like to feel a breeze in my face.  Cross county skiing replaced the crowds of a ski hill, but even that hasn't happened in over a decade.

My hobby I guess is the 'Zoo we have at home.  We each have to spend time on this rotating ball, so it's important to enjoy that time.  I enjoy "working" around our 'Zoo.  We rearranged the chicken fence so the Girls have more room to roam.  That wasn't without some gnashing of teeth and changes.  It still has just a bit to finish and will very soon.  The garden fencing is slowly progressing, which is important with the addition of a new German Shepard puppy in an adult body.  Winter crops are being harvested and Maureen is planting the tomatoes and such for the summer.

Generally these past two weeks of "break" were spent working at things I like without getting paid.  So "going back to work" means I'll get paid for what I'll be doing?  I've been paid by being with family and enjoying the passing of time.

A Pause in the Season

Last night the Monarchs won a baseball game, 5-1.  This was after winning the first 8 games, then losing the second 8.  The early wins for the most part came easy, and as expected the loses were hard.  After losing two separate games 6-5 in the last inning while playing well, we look like we've never been coached and lose by embarrassingly large deficits.  You start questioning if we will ever win again.  Everyone gets a bit snippy with each other.  You start wondering if you need a Crash Davis rainout.  But this isn't the movies, we actually had to play a game in the rain. Wasn't pretty, but nothing got hurt except our egos.

One of the wonderful experiences of a win streak is the feeling that the world stops.  It's hard to describe, but while winning or playing through a championship season everything fades into the background. Homework and grades become less important.  The broken sink is tolerated, or fixed with little effort.  Life gives you a pass so to speak.  For me the reality is Maureen covers up most of the difficulties and I am thankful for her doing that.

When you're losing it's just the opposite.  The principal wants papers graded and grades posted yesterday. That dripping sink sounds like a bucket of water dropped from two stories.  Even the dog looks at you funny.

But a win erases that at least for a while. And a win in the last game of the Easter tournament is even better.  We now have a five day break over the Good Friday and Easter weekend.  The separation that refreshes is made all that much better by going away a winner.  Players can rest and coaches can sleep just a bit sounder knowing that, "Hey, we can still play real baseball."

For me this five days is a time to relax by working around the house.  Instead of starting a project and having to stop for practice or a game, I can finish, or at least work on, something as long as I want.  Now I am engaged in redoing the chicken fence so the hens have more room to wander about and not get into the plants they love so much. We recently took out the last of our grass and are revamping the backyard to create more vegetable space.  I am looking forward to the fence building on these projects.  There will be something concrete to show at the end of the day.  The real touch of wood and metal and tools.

All of this while spending time with loved ones.

Another Knife Project

Recently I have stumbled upon skeleton knives.  Specifically the Buck PakLite Skinner Large and the PakLite Capering knife.  I thought the Skinner would make a good knife to butcher the animals with, as well as being an all-around kinfe.  The Capering knife was an Ebay find.

So far I like the knives, though haven't used them much.  One thing I found was the slender feel of the handle.  I thought about using paracord to wrap the handle.  I tried webbing knotted through the end hole.  I eventually Googled and was reminded of PlastiDip.  You know, the synthetic plastic coating used on tool handles.  The local mercantile had some and I thought I'd try it.

Above is the almost finished product.  It has three coats.  I have since added a fourth coat to thicken up the end just a bit more.  I had to cut away some the the plastic sheath liner so the knife would fit, but that seemed like a small price to pay.

The handle now is thicker and provides a better grip.  Can't wait to use it in a "wet" situation.

A Trip South, Part 2

I posted before about a recent trip south.  I've thought about many things during the trip and now afterwards.  Some of the events and areas seen on this trip made me wonder about what would happen in various events.

In my lifetime there have been at least two catastrophic earthquakes.  Many were killed.  Buildings and roads were destroyed. If I happen to be in the Los Angeles Basin during another earthquake, would I be prepared?  How would I get out of area and back home?  I'm not sure I would like the answers to those questions.  I have little doubts about my personal skills, but there are some things missing from the prep items I should have in the car.  I had a pack with flashlight, knife, and a small first aid kit.  I had blankets, tarps and rope in the car.  Even a collapsible shovel.  But little food and only a bit  of water.

Maybe because of my cheap ways, or just being unaccustomed to buying gas, I let the gas tank get low a few times.  I thought the $4.19 a gallon was high here in the Valley, but I was unprepared for the $4.59 in Los Angeles or the $4.69 a gallon on the Grapevine.  Next time I will be more likely to fill up in Bakersfield before going over the hill.  That would a least give us more gas most of the time.

Much of my time and many of my thoughts though centered on the people we saw and those in the houses we looked at for ideas.  From the quiet dark houses in Lakewood to the RuPaul clones in the Long Beach coffee shop.  The people moving through the airport on their way somewhere other than where they are.  The street people of Venice Beach to the citizens living in BelAir.  What would they do?  Are they prepared for a disaster?  What will they do?  We have more preps to do, but how much along the road are these people?  There are certainly more of them than my family and I.  How will we interact?

I still wonder at the Japanese tsunami and how the Japanese people handled that tragedy.  I don't have much faith that the average American will do as well.  And what if the disaster is man made not natural? This trip made me more cognizant of how much I still have to do.