As some of you may have noticed, I've latched onto the whole "2nd amendment" thing recently. You have to understand that for the past 20+ years, while I love to target shoot, I've refused to own weapons or store them in my house. When I was growing up, I was taught to shoot, and I was familiar with firearms. In college, I regularly went to a shooting range on campus and shot. However, once my kids came along, I didn't want to become a "statistic" so I just dropped all ideas of owning and using firearms. On the other hand, my brother continued to hunt and raised his daughter to shoot and hunt as well. At this point in time, I wish I had done the same.
However, the recent school shooting in Connecticut and the following "anti-gun government" statements and media showings are really starting to concern me. In fact, so much so that I have recently started building my "arsenal" at my house - and teaching my daughters about them as I go.
Real talk time, folks!
I don't think people truly understand what's happening with the recent "Ban Automatic Weapons" thing and how serious it can be. Between the pro gun nuts, and the anti gun nuts, the actual, REAL issue is getting lost in all the bickering between us regular citizens. You might say, "So? Who cares? People don't need large capacity magazines," or "What're you going to do with an assault weapon anyway? Hunt with it?" or "They can't do this! I paid for it fair and square!" or "They can have my guns when they take them from my cold dead hands!" or any number of variations of these two themes. I'm sure you've even taken part in one of these discussions already, and if you haven't, I'd lay even money that you will soon.
And you know what - we need to stop with these discussions. Why? Regardless of anyone's opinions, THIS IS EXACTLY what our current government wants to happen. The more confusion, the more arguing, the more bickering and complaining, the better the chances they have they will succeed. So, what really is going on?
Here's what I think IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. I believe that your 2nd amendment right is on it's way to being taken away from you, whether you choose to have a weapon or not. And a lot of us don't even realize this because of all the smoke and clutter being fed to us. It doesn't matter if you like guns, or agree with having them, love them, or if they scare the living crap out of you. IMO, It's the most important right we Americans have because it's the amendment that gives us, the governed people, the ability to defend ourselves against our GOVERNMENT should the need ever arise. It was so important to our forefathers that it was made the SECOND right on the list. The only one that's more important is the amendment that gives us the ability to try and talk our way through our problems first. Think about it. In many cases, our voices are not being heard anymore by our government. Now, if THIS right is taken away successfully, what's to stop our own government (sworn to protect our rights, by the way) from taking away the right to vote or the right to voice your opinion? What's to stop the government from arresting and holding you for no reason and seizing your property, or to just stop with the whole fair trial thing? What if women, or people who aren't white and rich, were suddenly unable to vote or own property again? How about not being able to vote legislators and presidents in and out of office?
You get the picture - once the most DANGEROUS of our rights (to the government) - the defense of your person and the ability to raise a militia against a corrupt government - is taken away, there will be no way you can stop a government and their army.
Just a little history lesson to warm you up. (My interpretation - you history teachers, if I get it wrong, please jump in!) Our forefathers saw this happening with England around 230 some years ago. Sometime in the early to mid 1700s, England was in another battle - fighting the French here in the Americas. However, it was one of those, "We will NOT lose and will use everything we have to win" wars. Because of this, England eventually won that war, but it went broke doing so and a major recession set in. They were in a pickle, but someone got the bright idea that since the war was fought over here, and they were actually defending "Colonists", then the colonists should pay for the war all by themselves. The problem was that they didn't give the colonists any choice in the matter. (You can read all about taxation without representation here.) In fact, the colonists were more than willing to do their share, it's just the GOVERNMENT didn't want to listen to them (sound familiar)? To make matters worse, life in the colonies, due to the recession was a bit more dangerous than normal.
After several incredibly stupid tax increases without listening to us, England (probably realizing something was up) decided to enact what I call "marshal law". All of a sudden, soldiers were bursting into homes of civilians, eating their food, sleeping in their beds, etc. People were being arrested for having an opinion against the King and England. No trials, or very unfair trials were being held. Yes, even weapons were being confiscated - usually leaving only one weapon to be used for hunting. Remember the famous midnight ride of Paul Revere (along with two other patriots, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott) where they warned the colonists that "the British were coming!"? Yes, that was to warn people that the ammunition and weapons that had been stored for safe keeping in event of a war with England was about to be taken by a group of soldiers. This was to happen at Concord and it actually was the start of the Revolutionary War.
Ok, let's correlate between then and now - government that is broke and decided that throwing taxes at the people without the people's input is ok. Check and Check. Times are a little bit more dangerous due to recession. Check and Check. Government is taking away basic freedoms from people. Check and trying to. Ok, this is as far as we've gotten so far. But, if they take our rights away, how far away are we from revolution again?
Yes, this is all coming from my head, but it's logical - at least to me. Consider it a conspiracy theory, whatever. But, think about it. Mull it over. What would YOU do, if you wanted TOTAL control of a country? I think the first thing you would do is to take away the people's ability to fight back.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Message to my College Freshmen friends, 2012
I've been reading a lot on Facebook how several of my students are packing and moving off to college. I can't help but feel excited for them!
At the risk of sounding old, 28 years ago, almost to the day, was the day I went off to college myself. I remember EVERYTHING about it - packing up my mom and dad's station wagon with all my clothes and belongings (barely filling the back of it), crawling into the driver's seat with my mom riding shotgun. Talking about anything BUT going to school. I remember getting to the dorm and trying to find the registration area and once found, told "Oh! You have the Bunny Room!" confusing the crap out of me and my mother. (Once my room was found, we discovered it was called the "Bunny Room because there was a floor to ceiling painting of the Playboy Bunny in silhouette on one wall - which looked awesome at night when the street lights came into the room.)
I remember how I was excited, yet very apprehensive about leaving home for the first time outside of camp and short trips. How my mom was trying, unsuccessfully, to not cry about her baby going away. Unloading the car and meeting my very strange roommate for the first time. Then, once everything was unloaded, walking her to the car and watching her drive away and trying not to tear up myself as I saw her finally let her tears fall freely....
I remember how I was lucky because my grandparents lived in that town so I went to their house that first night to eat and just hang out for awhile, but still feeling totally alone in the world. How, unknown to me, the next four years would be four of the best years I would have for a long time, including the most fun summer I've ever had in my life. I had my whole world in front of me, and I was young.
I even remember when almost two weeks later I got into a near fight with my roommate which resulted in me realizing it was all because I missed my parents and my home, which helped me in a strange way get over being so homesick. I remember the very first art class I had, and how easy it was to talk to the girls around me, specifically the one blonde that became one of my very best friends for several years. My 5' 5" body walking next to the 7" tall basketball player down the hall and people comparing us. The first real college party I went to. Watching scary movies on Halloween in the lobby with my dorm mates. Getting invited to join a fraternity and passing with the first class of pledges. Late night studying at the library, going to the movies or the local restaurant just for some fries because back then I was a little bitty, skinny thing. Meeting my first foreign classmate (somewhere from Asia) and realizing that despite the language difference we were pretty much the same. Going to the park and hanging out with friends and just about everything that took place over that first year. Getting a lesson from my work study professor boss (along with the other workers) on the difference between colored, black and African American, which was a relatively new term back then. (For reference, he was discussing how we lived in a relatively bland part of the state back then, with mainly just white people inhabiting it. There were very few African Americans, next to no Hispanics and even the Native Americans lived elsewhere. Believe it or not, that one 30 minute discussion as we sat in the reception area of the office opened my eyes a great deal.)
You hear people say, "If I knew back then what I know today I'd do things totally different." I don't think I would. Sure, I wouldn't spend the first two weeks flirting with Susan, the hot girl in my Freshman Composition class, then get up the guts to call her and ask her out for Friday night, only to find out that my delivery apparently wasn't that great because she didn't realize I had asked her out. I wouldn't "break dance" with the basketball players at the first dance. I wouldn't get up at 6:30 every morning that first semester to make sure I was to class on time - and I certainly wouldn't have stood outside the science building on that first day of classes holding the door for about a thousand students to go through when I only meant to hold it for the one good looking girl I'd seen. Among a host of other things that I probably shouldn't write about, but were equally as fun at the time but equally as embarrassing to me now. But, overall, I wouldn't change a thing about my first group of college years.
I have to admit it. I'm jealous of these kids going to school now. I want to have a large group of friends that lived on the same floor as me to hang out and do everything with again. I want to go to college dances. I want to go to the home football and basketball games and act like an idiot in front of everyone, yet not be criticized publicly because EVERYONE was doing it. I want to set up and play four story miniature golf in the dorm again. I want to have Zip Disc Gun Battles again (this was epic, lol!) I want to hang out in the Student Center, listening to the jukebox, playing pool, and meeting new people. I want to be in my fraternity again. I want the parties, I want the boredom - shoot, I guess I just miss that feeling of not knowing what was ahead every day and living each day like it was a party.
But, reality rears it's tired, ugly head. It's true. You can't go back again. I did try once, the second time I went to college. But I was married then, and had a beautiful baby girl so obviously it just wasn't the same. It came with it's only challenges and fun times. But nothing will be like those first years.
I have a message to the incoming Freshman class for 2012.
Enjoy it! You have SO much to look forward to in school this coming year. College isn't just about hitting the books. It's a whole life experience. Meet new people, play hard, and do some growing up. Four years goes by too fast, though sometimes it won't feel like it. Don't listen to the naysayers that spout the "Education is a waste of time" line of baloney. Go to games, go to dances, go to mixers, play games with your friends. Hang out in the student center and watch people. Sign up for intramural sports, even if you suck at it. Explore the town you live in. For some, it's a totally new place. For others, even if you've lived there before, it will hold secrets you were never privy to before - full of hidden treasures and hideouts that you'll remember forever. I have two degrees, and most of a lifetime of job experience in several fields, but I feel that my first four years of college were the most gratifying, most satisfying, most exciting time of my life. Laugh, love and spend some time becoming "YOU". You'll see that the "you" in high school really wasn't the "you" that is to come.
And remember most of all that while you may get things taken from you over the span of your life - taxes, jobs, possessions, in extreme cases but hopefully not, families and friends, and you might not even find a job in your chosen profession for some time after you graduate. But they (whoever they might be) can NEVER take away your college experiences. Those will be yours and yours alone.
Good luck to all the incoming college students, as well as students in high school and grade school this year. I hope you have as much fun as I did way back then!
At the risk of sounding old, 28 years ago, almost to the day, was the day I went off to college myself. I remember EVERYTHING about it - packing up my mom and dad's station wagon with all my clothes and belongings (barely filling the back of it), crawling into the driver's seat with my mom riding shotgun. Talking about anything BUT going to school. I remember getting to the dorm and trying to find the registration area and once found, told "Oh! You have the Bunny Room!" confusing the crap out of me and my mother. (Once my room was found, we discovered it was called the "Bunny Room because there was a floor to ceiling painting of the Playboy Bunny in silhouette on one wall - which looked awesome at night when the street lights came into the room.)
I remember how I was excited, yet very apprehensive about leaving home for the first time outside of camp and short trips. How my mom was trying, unsuccessfully, to not cry about her baby going away. Unloading the car and meeting my very strange roommate for the first time. Then, once everything was unloaded, walking her to the car and watching her drive away and trying not to tear up myself as I saw her finally let her tears fall freely....
I remember how I was lucky because my grandparents lived in that town so I went to their house that first night to eat and just hang out for awhile, but still feeling totally alone in the world. How, unknown to me, the next four years would be four of the best years I would have for a long time, including the most fun summer I've ever had in my life. I had my whole world in front of me, and I was young.
I even remember when almost two weeks later I got into a near fight with my roommate which resulted in me realizing it was all because I missed my parents and my home, which helped me in a strange way get over being so homesick. I remember the very first art class I had, and how easy it was to talk to the girls around me, specifically the one blonde that became one of my very best friends for several years. My 5' 5" body walking next to the 7" tall basketball player down the hall and people comparing us. The first real college party I went to. Watching scary movies on Halloween in the lobby with my dorm mates. Getting invited to join a fraternity and passing with the first class of pledges. Late night studying at the library, going to the movies or the local restaurant just for some fries because back then I was a little bitty, skinny thing. Meeting my first foreign classmate (somewhere from Asia) and realizing that despite the language difference we were pretty much the same. Going to the park and hanging out with friends and just about everything that took place over that first year. Getting a lesson from my work study professor boss (along with the other workers) on the difference between colored, black and African American, which was a relatively new term back then. (For reference, he was discussing how we lived in a relatively bland part of the state back then, with mainly just white people inhabiting it. There were very few African Americans, next to no Hispanics and even the Native Americans lived elsewhere. Believe it or not, that one 30 minute discussion as we sat in the reception area of the office opened my eyes a great deal.)
You hear people say, "If I knew back then what I know today I'd do things totally different." I don't think I would. Sure, I wouldn't spend the first two weeks flirting with Susan, the hot girl in my Freshman Composition class, then get up the guts to call her and ask her out for Friday night, only to find out that my delivery apparently wasn't that great because she didn't realize I had asked her out. I wouldn't "break dance" with the basketball players at the first dance. I wouldn't get up at 6:30 every morning that first semester to make sure I was to class on time - and I certainly wouldn't have stood outside the science building on that first day of classes holding the door for about a thousand students to go through when I only meant to hold it for the one good looking girl I'd seen. Among a host of other things that I probably shouldn't write about, but were equally as fun at the time but equally as embarrassing to me now. But, overall, I wouldn't change a thing about my first group of college years.
I have to admit it. I'm jealous of these kids going to school now. I want to have a large group of friends that lived on the same floor as me to hang out and do everything with again. I want to go to college dances. I want to go to the home football and basketball games and act like an idiot in front of everyone, yet not be criticized publicly because EVERYONE was doing it. I want to set up and play four story miniature golf in the dorm again. I want to have Zip Disc Gun Battles again (this was epic, lol!) I want to hang out in the Student Center, listening to the jukebox, playing pool, and meeting new people. I want to be in my fraternity again. I want the parties, I want the boredom - shoot, I guess I just miss that feeling of not knowing what was ahead every day and living each day like it was a party.
But, reality rears it's tired, ugly head. It's true. You can't go back again. I did try once, the second time I went to college. But I was married then, and had a beautiful baby girl so obviously it just wasn't the same. It came with it's only challenges and fun times. But nothing will be like those first years.
I have a message to the incoming Freshman class for 2012.
Enjoy it! You have SO much to look forward to in school this coming year. College isn't just about hitting the books. It's a whole life experience. Meet new people, play hard, and do some growing up. Four years goes by too fast, though sometimes it won't feel like it. Don't listen to the naysayers that spout the "Education is a waste of time" line of baloney. Go to games, go to dances, go to mixers, play games with your friends. Hang out in the student center and watch people. Sign up for intramural sports, even if you suck at it. Explore the town you live in. For some, it's a totally new place. For others, even if you've lived there before, it will hold secrets you were never privy to before - full of hidden treasures and hideouts that you'll remember forever. I have two degrees, and most of a lifetime of job experience in several fields, but I feel that my first four years of college were the most gratifying, most satisfying, most exciting time of my life. Laugh, love and spend some time becoming "YOU". You'll see that the "you" in high school really wasn't the "you" that is to come.
And remember most of all that while you may get things taken from you over the span of your life - taxes, jobs, possessions, in extreme cases but hopefully not, families and friends, and you might not even find a job in your chosen profession for some time after you graduate. But they (whoever they might be) can NEVER take away your college experiences. Those will be yours and yours alone.
Good luck to all the incoming college students, as well as students in high school and grade school this year. I hope you have as much fun as I did way back then!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Rodeo week!
Last night was the last night of the annual Woodward Elks Rodeo - "The toughest of them all". This year, I did the single father thing - I went with my youngest daughter. To be fair, I knew that within 20 minutes she was probably going to be bored of sitting with me and would want to hang out with her friends, and sure enough, she did. I didn't want her to be bored, so I released her from my weight and I didn't hear from her or see her again until it was over. I can honestly say she probably had a better time than just sitting with me, which was the whole idea of the thing, so it's OK. So there I was, sitting in the stands surrounded by hundreds of people I didn't know, sweating, and trying like heck to figure out what the attraction to rodeo is.
To tell the truth, this year what I was really looking forward to, besides spending time with my daughter, was the chance to use my new camera. I decided this past month to take up an old hobby of mine. Turns out, my daughter is also interested in photography, so I hope we get to do it together from time to time. I've had those little point and shoots that are tiny and fit in your pocket and they're good enough, but I wanted more so I bought what's called a bridge camera, or super zoom camera. Not quite a DSLR, but more than those little things. The ability to adjust settings on the camera as well as have the ease of a point and shoot all in one camera. Pretty cool! I got a great deal on one (took some searching, but I got it for several hundred less than it was listed) and it came in on Thursday, and I was chomping at the bit to take pictures. What I found out was that I have a LOT to learn about taking pictures at night!
(All these shots, and more, are available on my Flickr page found here Click here for more pictures taken by me of the rodeo..)
As I sat around trying to figure out what pictures to take, I saw the giant flag they had hanging from the crane. I was going for a dramatic picture, but I don't think I captured dramatic. I like it anyways.
Finally, my two favorite shots. I don't know why they are, I just like them out of the bunch.
Feel free to check out all my photos of the rodeo. Like I said, some are good, some not so much. More pictures of the rodeo!
To tell the truth, this year what I was really looking forward to, besides spending time with my daughter, was the chance to use my new camera. I decided this past month to take up an old hobby of mine. Turns out, my daughter is also interested in photography, so I hope we get to do it together from time to time. I've had those little point and shoots that are tiny and fit in your pocket and they're good enough, but I wanted more so I bought what's called a bridge camera, or super zoom camera. Not quite a DSLR, but more than those little things. The ability to adjust settings on the camera as well as have the ease of a point and shoot all in one camera. Pretty cool! I got a great deal on one (took some searching, but I got it for several hundred less than it was listed) and it came in on Thursday, and I was chomping at the bit to take pictures. What I found out was that I have a LOT to learn about taking pictures at night!
(All these shots, and more, are available on my Flickr page found here Click here for more pictures taken by me of the rodeo..)
As I sat around trying to figure out what pictures to take, I saw the giant flag they had hanging from the crane. I was going for a dramatic picture, but I don't think I captured dramatic. I like it anyways.
Who could miss the truck hanging underneath the flag? The grey behind it is smoke from the big fire going on over by Cedardale.
The kid thing was going on, so I took several of these types of shots. Kids are always good for action.
After that, it became an exercise in trying out different exposures and such, some worked, some didn't.
Feel free to check out all my photos of the rodeo. Like I said, some are good, some not so much. More pictures of the rodeo!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Doing what we love...
To start off with, I'd like to share this letter:
A Teacher Explains Why She Gave Up
It's very sad that a young teacher was reduced to leaving the job she loves. However, it's not as uncommon as you would think. A stat listed in the blog to give you an idea on how common this is: more than 50% of teachers quit within 7 years of starting, and most within 5 years. The ones that refresh this career, the ones with the fresh and new ideas and concepts, most commonly the youngest and most eager of us - over half of them leave before they are really considered master teachers.
I can relate. About 5 years ago (my 5th or 6th year), I almost quit teaching. I was having an incredibly hard time with the class I had and I just couldn't see that I was making a difference. I remember standing in the hallway outside my classroom, staring out the window and watching the highway traffic driving by and wondered what I would do if I quit teaching.
See, despite the stress, despite the headaches, despite all the hassles, and the lack of pay, I really love my job. There's nothing like seeing and talking to and with the kiddos, having them looking to me to guide them through the year, passing along knowledge - rather intended in lesson plans or spur of the moment - helping them because they need me, and being an authority/male figure that students want, need and remember year after year after year (and apparently like) is just pretty darn awesome. Honestly, I've had several jobs in my 46 years and this one is the one I feel most suited and comfortable in.
But, that horrible few months I was having back then was enough to make me seriously want to leave this wonderful career. I was having problems seeing that I was making a difference (with one student in particular), rumors of teacher merit pay were flying around and had actually made it through a committee in congress (biggest joke ever - NO ONE is paid based on how someone else performs, nor should they be), rumors of more layoffs, lack of textbooks and general support from the state - the list went on and on. Kids were negative, not listening, not caring about their work and generally disrespectful (more than what I had seen to that point). This profession that had once been considered a very noble and honorable profession had disintegrated into the laughable occupation to take money from, to place the blame for all student performance on, and to grind the collective cigarette butt of cynicism, negativity and doubt out on. And I was feeling it.
About two weeks after that, I was staring out that same window again. I had just had a run-in with that same student again, and I had decided it was enough. I was tired of the arguing, the not turning in of work, the lying, the fighting, the bickering, the contradictions, the interruptions, everything. Outside of work, I was tired of hearing about how "I got weekends and holidays and my summers off" or "How I was paid for working half a year", and I was tired of feeling like I WAS NOT MAKING A DIFFERENCE (that I could see. See, we teachers don't work in tangibles. We see the results of our hard work years later, if ever.)
However, along with these thoughts were, "What will you do if you leave?" and "You're too old to start all over again!" But there was a quiet thought also. It said, "Why let one or two people ruin what you love? Why give them the power to do that? Why not see it through?" And that little voice never stopped. It was persistent. It was kind, it was soothing, and it was RIGHT. It was that day that I decided to really dig in and do what I loved - teach.
Teaching is hard work. I've heard stories and stories and stories about bad teachers and I always say the same thing. Please don't let the one or two bad teachers you know affect your opinion of the rest of us. And let me tell you this - being a BAD teacher is EASY. Being a GOOD teacher is hard work. We spend hours every day building lessons and units, grading papers, coming up with good ideas. We spend our weekends and holidays playing "catch up" and getting ahead. We take our summers and go to workshops, take classes at college, work on our Master's degrees and getting to know our families again. We don't want the "Teacher of the Year" awards - though it's great when we get it. We just want to do what we love. We want to teach!
Now, get off my lawn!
A Teacher Explains Why She Gave Up
It's very sad that a young teacher was reduced to leaving the job she loves. However, it's not as uncommon as you would think. A stat listed in the blog to give you an idea on how common this is: more than 50% of teachers quit within 7 years of starting, and most within 5 years. The ones that refresh this career, the ones with the fresh and new ideas and concepts, most commonly the youngest and most eager of us - over half of them leave before they are really considered master teachers.
I can relate. About 5 years ago (my 5th or 6th year), I almost quit teaching. I was having an incredibly hard time with the class I had and I just couldn't see that I was making a difference. I remember standing in the hallway outside my classroom, staring out the window and watching the highway traffic driving by and wondered what I would do if I quit teaching.
See, despite the stress, despite the headaches, despite all the hassles, and the lack of pay, I really love my job. There's nothing like seeing and talking to and with the kiddos, having them looking to me to guide them through the year, passing along knowledge - rather intended in lesson plans or spur of the moment - helping them because they need me, and being an authority/male figure that students want, need and remember year after year after year (and apparently like) is just pretty darn awesome. Honestly, I've had several jobs in my 46 years and this one is the one I feel most suited and comfortable in.
But, that horrible few months I was having back then was enough to make me seriously want to leave this wonderful career. I was having problems seeing that I was making a difference (with one student in particular), rumors of teacher merit pay were flying around and had actually made it through a committee in congress (biggest joke ever - NO ONE is paid based on how someone else performs, nor should they be), rumors of more layoffs, lack of textbooks and general support from the state - the list went on and on. Kids were negative, not listening, not caring about their work and generally disrespectful (more than what I had seen to that point). This profession that had once been considered a very noble and honorable profession had disintegrated into the laughable occupation to take money from, to place the blame for all student performance on, and to grind the collective cigarette butt of cynicism, negativity and doubt out on. And I was feeling it.
About two weeks after that, I was staring out that same window again. I had just had a run-in with that same student again, and I had decided it was enough. I was tired of the arguing, the not turning in of work, the lying, the fighting, the bickering, the contradictions, the interruptions, everything. Outside of work, I was tired of hearing about how "I got weekends and holidays and my summers off" or "How I was paid for working half a year", and I was tired of feeling like I WAS NOT MAKING A DIFFERENCE (that I could see. See, we teachers don't work in tangibles. We see the results of our hard work years later, if ever.)
However, along with these thoughts were, "What will you do if you leave?" and "You're too old to start all over again!" But there was a quiet thought also. It said, "Why let one or two people ruin what you love? Why give them the power to do that? Why not see it through?" And that little voice never stopped. It was persistent. It was kind, it was soothing, and it was RIGHT. It was that day that I decided to really dig in and do what I loved - teach.
Teaching is hard work. I've heard stories and stories and stories about bad teachers and I always say the same thing. Please don't let the one or two bad teachers you know affect your opinion of the rest of us. And let me tell you this - being a BAD teacher is EASY. Being a GOOD teacher is hard work. We spend hours every day building lessons and units, grading papers, coming up with good ideas. We spend our weekends and holidays playing "catch up" and getting ahead. We take our summers and go to workshops, take classes at college, work on our Master's degrees and getting to know our families again. We don't want the "Teacher of the Year" awards - though it's great when we get it. We just want to do what we love. We want to teach!
Now, get off my lawn!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wow!
I just this minute found out that my daughter and her boyfriend are getting me a Kindle Fire for Father's Day. How cool is that?
While I don't like that they spent that much money on me, I can't help but be happy! I LOVE tech presents! Hey, my dad loves getting tools for presents, my mom likes salt and pepper shakers, I like tech stuff. I'm one of those guys that will go out of his way to get something new in technology as soon as I can come close to affording it, but since I already had a tablet, I decided I wasn't going to get this one.
The coolest thing is that my old tablet (a Coby Kyros) rekindled - is this a pun? - my love of reading. It's so much easier picking up my tablet to read. Not really sure why, though. Since I got it around January, I've read around 10 books on it. Some of which were over 500 pages! Not a ton, I know, but about 10 more than I've read in the past 6 years.
I can't wait to start reading on my new Kindle! Does anyone have anything they want to tell me about their Kindle Fires?
While I don't like that they spent that much money on me, I can't help but be happy! I LOVE tech presents! Hey, my dad loves getting tools for presents, my mom likes salt and pepper shakers, I like tech stuff. I'm one of those guys that will go out of his way to get something new in technology as soon as I can come close to affording it, but since I already had a tablet, I decided I wasn't going to get this one.
The coolest thing is that my old tablet (a Coby Kyros) rekindled - is this a pun? - my love of reading. It's so much easier picking up my tablet to read. Not really sure why, though. Since I got it around January, I've read around 10 books on it. Some of which were over 500 pages! Not a ton, I know, but about 10 more than I've read in the past 6 years.
I can't wait to start reading on my new Kindle! Does anyone have anything they want to tell me about their Kindle Fires?
A New Me
Bare with me, folks. This is a long one!
I started exercising again this summer. It was more of a "You have to do this NOW, or you'll never do it and you'll die alone and miserably overweight and sad" blah blah blah....I decided that as part of the new me who is going to have to get a new life (long story), I need to shed some of this weight that suddenly appeared on my body over the course of 3 years (part of the long story I don't wish to tell at the moment). However, to understand why this is blog worthy, I have to take you back a bit.
About 12 years ago, I literally woke up one morning and realized that if I didn't lose weight, based on my family's history of diabetes and heart disease, I could possibly not see my kids grow up or my grandchildren. The thought was so strong that on that very day, I changed. I began to get in shape. I went to my doctor, good ol' Dr. Brown, got a prescription for Zenical and started walking (which after a bit turned into running) and eating better. Soon, I was running every single day - outside and on the treadmill if the weather was bad.
It took two years, but I dropped about 90 pounds. At the time, it was more weight than my oldest daughter weighed! I had reached 155 pounds (my goal was 150) and people were even telling my parents how great I looked. One guy even told my mom, "He looked like a marathon runner!" when he saw me running one day. Then, the accident happened. I broke my shoulder playing softball. Now, if you've never broken your shoulder, or known someone who has, it's a VERY debilitating break - it hurt to walk, sit, move, take a shower, anything. You really don't realize how much you use your shoulders for. To be honest, the entire upper left side of my body, waist up to my shoulder, was useless for about a month. It was at this time I started teaching, which every teacher knows how tiring and stressful it is for a first year teacher! So basically, I would work all day, come home, take a pain pill and sleep all night. Although it healed rather quickly, it took a good 7-8 months before I could move without any pain at all, and another 2-3 months before I could walk a decent distance without it hurting.
So what, you say? In exercising terms, this was the effect that one broken bone - in particular, THAT broken bone - had on me. Its been said that for every 2 weeks of inactivity, you lose about a month's worth of the fitness level you were at previously. It's safe to say that prior to the accident I was at a relatively high fitness level (I put in about 5-6 miles every single day). Over the approximate 10-12 months of inactivity I had, that's about 25 months of workouts lost. (In other words, read the entire two years I had worked hard at losing all this weight was shot.) The good thing, however, was that the weight didn't come rushing back on - it took a good 10 years and a big life changing event for that to happen to me.
Here's the kicker - ever since then, I have tried unsuccessfully to return to my fitness regimen. I took Zenical faithfully for another 5 years or so, which helped me maintain my weight somewhat (I gained approx. 5 pounds a year, I guess) so that it actually snuck up on me. However, I never felt, well, as centered as I used to be both physcially and mentally, so I would usually quit after a few weeks of running and around 10-15 pounds lost. Yup, you guessed it - it all started coming back.
Then, fast forward to a little over 3 years ago. I had a MAJOR life changing event - not one so uncommon to most people, but one that really set me back mentally, socially, and physically. I hate to admit it, but mentally, I shut down. WAY down. I was pretty much a zombie for a while (maybe some of you can put why I talk about zombies so much and this episode together and NOW you understand, lol!) Along with this and a new regimen of pills to take, yup, whammo! All the weight shot back on me in the span of a year and a half.
Jump to now. Different job (still teaching, just in a different school in the district and a different grade level), a new outlook, most days, on life. The event hasn't changed and I still feel uncentered - in fact, almost awkward, when I run. But running was how I did it before, and how I'll do it again.
So, why tell all this? Well, it's two-fold...
1. By writing it down and publishing it, I'm making a public affirmation. I WILL lose this weight. Now, I have the pressure of proving that I can and I have everyone reading this watching to see if I actually will do it.
and 2., I'm announcing that my life, while still not great, is getting better and by the time I lose all this weight, I expect to be centered and balanced, mentally and physically, once again. Ok, and maybe for a third reason - I love the encouragement I get from you guys!
So here's to the new me, starting 3 weeks and 8 pounds ago. Only 93 pounds to go!
Now, get off my lawn!
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